SILVERBEET & LEEK PITTA (SESKOULOPITTA)

Ingredients



1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup vegie oil

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-4 cups plain flour

1 bunch silverbeet washed well

1-2 large leeks

2 large onions diced

1 bunch dill (1 cup)

1 bunch mint (1 cup)

200g fetta crumbled

2 eggs beaten with 1 teasp. salt

1/2 teasp. cracked pepper



Put hot water and milk in mixing bowl with salt and start adding flour slowly until it is a sticky dough, place on floured table and roll out. It will be sticky, don’t worry if it has holes in it, roll out as far as it will go. Add vegie oil and brush with fingers, fold pastry in half and lightly oil, fold again and oil and again until you get a sticky, oily ball of pastry. Place on large dinner plate and put cling wrap on it and put in refrigerator for min 30 minutes.



Filling

wash silverbeet and leeks properly, first cutting off the stem of silverbeet and discarding, and chop into 2 inch slices. The leeks should be cut into 2cm slices then washed so the dirt comes off them.Wash the dill and mint thoroughly and chop finely. Dice onions and and in large casserole saute the onions with olive oil for 2 minutes, add leeks for 2 more minutes, then add silverbeet for another 5 mins until they wilt a bit, constantly stirring and then add herbs (dill and mint) and switch off stove. Let the mix cool down.

Next in a mixing bowl crack the eggs and beat with a fork, add salt and pepper and lastly crumble the fetta and mix well. When the greens have cooled down a bit add the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Leave aside.



Pastry - lightly grease with vegie oil your baking tray. Take out of the fridge the dough and divide in 2, and knead for 1 minute and it should be soft and pliable. Lightly flour your bench and rolling pin and roll out the pastry finely to about 5cm bigger all round than the baking dish. Pick it up carefully but quickly and put the bottom layer on, spoon your greens mix evenly and if you want to add more fetta cheese you can on the top (optional). Then take the other half of the pastry and repeat same process but try and stretch the layer (bigger) and (finer) if you can. This is the challenge. Then place on top and fold the pastry to fit the baking tray and it will look like ruffled sheets! Get a knife and score the pastry into squares or wedges, get some olive oil and evenly pour over the pastry and bake in a moderate oven 180o for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned.



TIP you can use mix silverbeet, spinach, leeks, onions, wild greens (horta), beetroot stems anything to make a pitta (any greens) and a mix tastes even better.