1 karen mintzias
1 chicken, stewed
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cup chicken broth/stock, warmed
1/4 cup milk, optional
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated cheese *(see note)
1 salt & freshly ground pepper
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 thyme or mint leaves, chopped
12 commercial filo sheets
Directions
*Note: Suggested cheeses are either Mizithra or
Kefalotyri. If unavailable, Parmesan or Romano could
be substituted. :-(
Remove the bones and skin from chicken and discard.
With your fingers tear the chicken into strips, not
too small. Set aside while you prepare the sauce.
Melt the 4 T butter in a heavy pan, then blend in the
flour, without scorching, over medium heat. Remove
from the heat for a minute and stir in the warm broth,
then return to the heat and cook gently until the
sauce boils. Cool. Mix in the milk if the sauce
seems too thick, then add the eggs, cheese, a little
salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.
Butter a 9 x 12 x 3-inch baking pan and in it spread 6
filo sheets, brushing each with melted butter. Pour
in the chicken filling, then cover with the remaining
filo sheets. Tuck the top filo over the bottom and
flute the edges. Score the top 3 filo sheets with a
sharp knife. Bake in a moderate oven (350 F) for 40
minutes, or until crisp and golden chestnut in color.
Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before
cutting into 9 to 12 squares. Serve warm. (Serves 9
to 12)
Note: In Epirus, Kotopita is sometimes made with a
large amount of onions. If you would like to try it,
use the recipe above plus 1 pound of Spanish- type
onions. Peel and slice the onions, boil in water for
5 minutes, and drain. Prepare the sauce without the
cheese and bake the chicken and onions in the sauce,
between homemade filo, preferably, or commercial filo.
From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras
Chantiles. Avenel Books, New York.
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 10 servings
Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; Chicken; Dessert; Pie
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to follow the history of recipes way back into the far past, at least as far into history as early Egypt, and maybe even further. Interesting though that maybe, these, ancient cook books were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to academics are a few stone tablets in Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Progressing into Roman times 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a collection of scripts showing how to cook the recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, Apicius recounts how the meals were split into starters, main meal and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also describes how the cooks of Roman times were skilled in the use of a good variety of herbs and spices, including some familiar names such as thyme, rue and dill. Continuing our culinary historical journey, there are some interesting books dating from the 1300s : a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Amusingly, they have no connection with the spicy food that is served today, but instead accounts of the types of food on the menus of the upper classes. Later on, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods, spices and herbs from middle-east cuisine, including spices such as coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new spices and herbs was responsible for an explosion in books on cooking, the majority of which are now in private libraries. Over the succeeding few hundred years, the wealthy families of the West strove to offer the most exotic banquets, and because of this chefs and their collection of recipes were much in demand. Even so, it was during the 19th century the formal cooking and cookery books became popular. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to collecting, verifying, and writing down popular recipes of the day. When we get to the twentieth century, cooking books were greatly in demand due to higher levels of literacy, more spare time and having more disposable income. The TV revolution brought us TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. And that neatly brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everybody to access thousands of recipes such as those found on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie) recipe.
