Albanian vegetable pie

Albanian vegetable pies, Byrek Shqipëtar me perime, is an Albanian recipe for cooking pies. Albanian pies are generally made of thin pastry leaves which can be rolled out at home or bought as FILO dough at a supermarket. Most of the pies prepared by Albanian cooks are not sweet; instead, pie fillings are almost always salty. Thus, a piece of such a pie may well serve as the main dish of a meal.

Spinach Pie (Byrek me Spinaq)

• 1 cup (240 ml) oil, preferably olive oil
• 1½ packets (or about 30) pastry leaves (Filo dough)
• 1½ pounds (680 g) spinach, chopped
• 1 cup (240 ml) diced feta cheese
• ½ cup (120 ml) chopped green onions
• 2 eggs
• salt, half teaspoon

( NOTE: A medium-sized, round baking pan is recommended because it's more authentic but any medium-sized baking pan will do).

Brush the baking pan with some of the oil, and start laying the pastry leaves inside. First, lay two leaves, sprinkle or brush with oil, then lay two other leaves, and repeat the procedure until half of the leaves are laid. Make sure that they cover the pan by hanging them about one inch over the edges of the pan.

Sprinkle spinach with salt, then mix well by hand. Add the feta cheese, oil, onions, eggs and salt, and spread this mixture over the already laid pastry leaves. Finish by covering the spinach with the rest of the pastry leaves repeating the first-half procedure and then roll the hanging edges of the bottom leaves over the pie (think of a pizza crust), sprinkle top with oil and bake moderately at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot, accompanied with buttermilk, or beaten yogurt, thinned down in cold water or with chilled stewed prunes. Sometimes a green salad adds to the meal!

Serves 4-6.

See also

• Albanian cuisine
• Culture of Albania

References

Referenced By