I've been sending a few emails but thought this would be easier to keep as a blog post. Since we used to have a blog in Cambodia, I thought our Greek blogs could come from here.
What a fantastic day! We started the morning doing my typical rounds in Limni, where George (my Dad's cousin) and I usually spend 30 minutes gesturing to each other and I find out I have some commitment previously unknown. Today I learned the lawyer for our olive trees (another story) is coming tonight, and he wanted to have dinner. They are en route and our 9 pm plans have moved to 1030, so a few minutes to write up a great recipe for Kotopita, a la Sophie's cousin Maria.
Kotopita was my favorite recipe growing up, made by my Yaya (grandmother in Greek) and then passed down to my Mom. We were never sure we got it correctly from my Yaya so I was keen to hear Sophie's cousin said it is her speciality and that she wanted to show me how she makes it. Kotopita basically means kota - chicken and pita - pita or phyllo.
Kotopita - Limni-Style
When I arrived at Maria's, she had already started by...
Boiling 3/4 of a whole chicken in lightly salted water (I asked how long and she said until it was done! Maybe 1 hour - 1.5 hours).
She had also diced 5 onions, a mix of red and yellow, and had them ready to go in a pot.
You can see the boiled chicken to the left, and the onions in a pot on the right. The pot the chicken was boiled in is in the top right corner.
"The success of kotopita is the onions" Maria told me, and indeed they were the focus of our preparations. The quantity could vary depending on how large a pan you have to prepare Kotopita. Greek onions are about the size of an American medium onion (one large American would be two Greek). I asked if we carmelize, and she said "No!' They were already sweet enough.
Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup (I just approximated) of olive oil to the diced onions and start to saute over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Now it gets interesting! Maria started to ladle in chicken stock (3-5 ladles) from the boiled chicken and continued cooking the onions. In all, the onions were cooked another 30-40 minutes after the initial saute. It's very important that the onions are well done, and there is not too much excess stock (so add more stock but not too much).
While the onions are cooking, we began to cut up the chicken (cooled slightly). One very cool thing about Greek cooking is that I noticed they cut food into their hand (see photo) instead of on a cutting board.
This moving a small knife towards the hang with the chicken in the left hand is how we cut the chicken (into very small pieces). Cut only the chicken meat, not the skin or other extremities. I hope you can figure this out.
After the chicken is added be sure to turn off the heat.
There are three cheeses to be added, one at a time, each being fully blended in before adding the next. Did you turn off the heat?
Cheese #1: Regato - some type of European cheese but not Gouda. It's a hard, bright yellow cheese that to me tasted like parmesan. It was bright yellow. We added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup. Here's a link to what I think is Regato.
Cheese #2: Anthotiro - a well-known Greek cheese unknown to me. It tasted like Manouri mixed with ricotta - more crumbly. It's made from sheep and goat's milk and is considered a traditional farmhouse cheese.
We crumbled in about 300 grams. (3/4 of this package).
Can you tell that this second layer is laid out in the opposite direction of the last piece?
Maria added 3/4 of the mixture and then the rest. Do the 'index finger' test (dip your finger and see if it comes close to the first ridge). It doesn't have to be exact. Maria did caution against making Kotopita with too thick of a filling, so try not to go above the ridge. This way the subtle flavors come out.
Maria was very precise about how to cut the Kotopita, first lengthwise, and then very carefully, one piece at a time, sideways. You can see her doing a sideways slide here.
Now, another Greek secret is about to be revealed: splash a little bit of water over the Kotopita (or any phyllo recipe) at the end so that the phyllo does not puff up.
And put into the oven, 180 celsius which is about 350 farenheit, for about an hour until it becomes crispy and lightly browned.
In the meantime, Maria asked if I wanted to go for a 'banos' or swim, an essential element of Limni life. (Maria, as many people here, work in Athens and are from Limni so they are in vacation mode themselves when they are here). So I went for a banos while the Kotopita cooked!
I didn't have a photo handy of myself in the Mediterranean sea so here's one of Derek to give you the idea.
And voila! Kotopita for lunch.
Maria and her lovely family (Stavros, her daughter Katerina, and Katerina's son) hosted us for a delicious lunch after that, which included.....
Greek salad (tomatoes, red onion)
Chicken (chicken pieces boiled with mustard, olives, capers, white wine and yum!) by Katerina.
Rice put into a bundt pan and flipped over so it held a nice shape
Kotopita on a small dish where we also put our salad...
Bread
Afghatisto Maria and family!
What a fantastic day! We started the morning doing my typical rounds in Limni, where George (my Dad's cousin) and I usually spend 30 minutes gesturing to each other and I find out I have some commitment previously unknown. Today I learned the lawyer for our olive trees (another story) is coming tonight, and he wanted to have dinner. They are en route and our 9 pm plans have moved to 1030, so a few minutes to write up a great recipe for Kotopita, a la Sophie's cousin Maria.
Kotopita was my favorite recipe growing up, made by my Yaya (grandmother in Greek) and then passed down to my Mom. We were never sure we got it correctly from my Yaya so I was keen to hear Sophie's cousin said it is her speciality and that she wanted to show me how she makes it. Kotopita basically means kota - chicken and pita - pita or phyllo.
Kotopita - Limni-Style
When I arrived at Maria's, she had already started by...
Boiling 3/4 of a whole chicken in lightly salted water (I asked how long and she said until it was done! Maybe 1 hour - 1.5 hours).
She had also diced 5 onions, a mix of red and yellow, and had them ready to go in a pot.
You can see the boiled chicken to the left, and the onions in a pot on the right. The pot the chicken was boiled in is in the top right corner.
"The success of kotopita is the onions" Maria told me, and indeed they were the focus of our preparations. The quantity could vary depending on how large a pan you have to prepare Kotopita. Greek onions are about the size of an American medium onion (one large American would be two Greek). I asked if we carmelize, and she said "No!' They were already sweet enough.
Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup (I just approximated) of olive oil to the diced onions and start to saute over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Now it gets interesting! Maria started to ladle in chicken stock (3-5 ladles) from the boiled chicken and continued cooking the onions. In all, the onions were cooked another 30-40 minutes after the initial saute. It's very important that the onions are well done, and there is not too much excess stock (so add more stock but not too much).
While the onions are cooking, we began to cut up the chicken (cooled slightly). One very cool thing about Greek cooking is that I noticed they cut food into their hand (see photo) instead of on a cutting board.
This moving a small knife towards the hang with the chicken in the left hand is how we cut the chicken (into very small pieces). Cut only the chicken meat, not the skin or other extremities. I hope you can figure this out.
Maria had a few little secret tips that probably make her Kotopita even more delicious. She told me yesterday in Athens she went to a stall and had Kotopita, and it was not very good at all, so she said she would return and teach the shop owner how to make great Kotopita. This reassured me that she is indeed a Kotopita master! (I know I use too many ! but it is hard to resist here).
One of Maria's secrets is to add a little bit of thin skin to the mix for texture.
Everything is somewhat variable in a Kotopita recipe, including the pan size. Maria says she varies the pan size based on how much filling she finds herself making, and will vary her filling based on the pan size. I'm not quite sure how to work it out, but as long as the filling is not thicker than to the first line on your finger (not sure what this is), you should be fine.
Now we checked the onions again, and found they were close to ready. Maria said her husband had added more stock without her knowing, so it was a little more liquid than she would choose. She adapted by boiling the onions on high heat for a short time and it seemed to work.
Next she added the diced chicken to the onions and stirred well.
Now we entered a whole new world of Kotopita-making: Cheese! Our family recipe never called for Cheese, and we surmised that afternoon that perhaps they did not have the money to add cheese, and it is only a modern addition. Our family Kotopita recipe has remained the same as it was in the 1920s in Limni, and Maria's had been updated.
There are three cheeses to be added, one at a time, each being fully blended in before adding the next. Did you turn off the heat?
Cheese #1: Regato - some type of European cheese but not Gouda. It's a hard, bright yellow cheese that to me tasted like parmesan. It was bright yellow. We added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup. Here's a link to what I think is Regato.
Cheese #2: Anthotiro - a well-known Greek cheese unknown to me. It tasted like Manouri mixed with ricotta - more crumbly. It's made from sheep and goat's milk and is considered a traditional farmhouse cheese.
We crumbled in about 300 grams. (3/4 of this package).
Cheese #3: Feta (1/2-3/4 cup) again added using the knife upwards motion. Feta is harder to mix in so may need to further crumble pieces with the wooden mixing spoon.
Spices - Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Pepper (and Salt if needed): Now for the yummy additions of cinnamon (1/2 - 1 tsp)
and nutmeg (fresh ground is a must!) about 1/2 tsp - or 1/3rd of a nutmeg. Nutmeg is so essential that Maria had Stavros stop by the store to get some when we could not find any on the shelves. My family's recipe only calls for Cinnamon, perhaps Nutmeg is also an addition as Limni life has become more affluent.
For final touches, add pepper and then taste to see if salt is needed. The cheese is fairly salty so you may not need any. We did not. I wish I could transmit the delicious taste of each step, but you will have to try it for yourself.
The final, final step is to beat well and add 4 eggs. Make sure the mixture is well-cooled (we added the eggs after we started assembling the base of the kotopita) and add very very slowly so the egg does not cook.
Assembling our kotopita. I am not sure how this will work with the phyllo/filo we can get in the United States, which tends to be extremely thin. Maria used a phyllo of medium thickness. You can get a sense of the size of our pan (probably larger than what most of us have but you can do it in a smaller pan.)
Here's the brand she used. I show the photo here in case you can bring this to a Greek or Middle Eastern store and find it. Sorry for the odd shape but when I try to move the pictures in Picasa they still don't display correctly here.
Step 1: Oil the bottom & sides of the pan. Assess pan size relative to the amount of filling you have (if less filling use smaller pan.)
Step 2: Add 3 sheets of phyllo, one at a time, covering each layer with oil. You place the phyllo sheets down one longways, one across, so you cover the whole pan. Our family recipe calls for 5 sheets of phyllo, so if you can only find very thin phyllo maybe do more.
Can you tell that this second layer is laid out in the opposite direction of the last piece?
Step 3: Add the chicken mixture and smooth evenly.
Maria added 3/4 of the mixture and then the rest. Do the 'index finger' test (dip your finger and see if it comes close to the first ridge). It doesn't have to be exact. Maria did caution against making Kotopita with too thick of a filling, so try not to go above the ridge. This way the subtle flavors come out.
After the mixture is added, you can fold over any phyllo over the sides, again oiling it.
Step 4: Add 3 more sheets of phyllo, one on one side and one on the other, oiling each layer. I love how Maria makes a beautiful pattern with the olive oil. Greeks all have a small glass olive oil container with which to pour. If not, maybe use a measuring cup with a lip.
Make sure to brush the oil across all the phyllo so it is evenly spread. Oil is particularly important with phyllo of medium thickness such as used here.
Step 5: Cut the Kotopita. Here is where I learned something very interesting from Limni historian Dimitri, who is also gathering the recipes of Limni. There are very special ways of cutting food in Limni (and Greece), and each family may have their own special style of cutting their baklava or other dishes.
Maria was very precise about how to cut the Kotopita, first lengthwise, and then very carefully, one piece at a time, sideways. You can see her doing a sideways slide here.
Now, another Greek secret is about to be revealed: splash a little bit of water over the Kotopita (or any phyllo recipe) at the end so that the phyllo does not puff up.
And put into the oven, 180 celsius which is about 350 farenheit, for about an hour until it becomes crispy and lightly browned.
In the meantime, Maria asked if I wanted to go for a 'banos' or swim, an essential element of Limni life. (Maria, as many people here, work in Athens and are from Limni so they are in vacation mode themselves when they are here). So I went for a banos while the Kotopita cooked!
I didn't have a photo handy of myself in the Mediterranean sea so here's one of Derek to give you the idea.
And voila! Kotopita for lunch.
Maria and her lovely family (Stavros, her daughter Katerina, and Katerina's son) hosted us for a delicious lunch after that, which included.....
Greek salad (tomatoes, red onion)
Chicken (chicken pieces boiled with mustard, olives, capers, white wine and yum!) by Katerina.
Rice put into a bundt pan and flipped over so it held a nice shape
Kotopita on a small dish where we also put our salad...
Bread
Afghatisto Maria and family!
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