When I was in Greece I had a delicious pie made with minced goat. I don’t have goat, so this is my version with beef, coiled into a spiral like the cheese pies I had there. I’d never done the spiral before – mine isn’t perfect, and little gaps and splits don’t matter at all – but it tasted bloody marvellous. Make the filling earlier in the day so it’s completely cold when you build the pie.
Ingredients
Filling
- splash olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 500 g beef mince salted and left uncovered in the fridge overnight
- 2 cloves garlic sliced or chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano plus extra for the top
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 50 ml red wine
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 70 ml beef or chicken stock
Pie
- 6 sheets filo pastry
- olive oil for brushing and drizzling
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Filling (make ahead)
- Heat a splash of olive oil and cook the onion gently for about 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Turn the heat up, add the beef and brown it all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. (Salt it now if you didn't salt it ahead.)
- Add the garlic, oregano, mint, allspice, cinnamon and chilli and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the wine and let it reduce almost completely, then stir in the tomato purée and the stock.
- Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
Build the pie
- Lay a sheet of filo on your work surface, drizzle with olive oil and spread it roughly (dry patches are fine and help it crisp). Repeat with two more sheets on top. Keep the rest of the filo under a damp tea towel.
- With a long side facing you, spoon half the filling along the bottom edge, fold in the ends and roll up as tightly as you can.
- Coil the roll into a spiral on a lined baking tray.
- Make a second roll with the remaining three sheets and the rest of the filling, and continue the spiral with it.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Drizzle the pie with more olive oil and scatter with sesame seeds and a little dried oregano.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes until crisp and golden.
Data source: USDA FoodData Central.
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