Greek Onion-Leek Pie

Last  week I saw a recipe in my daily paper for a onion, leek and feta pie. It sounded really appealing, and it did turn out to be very tasty. The original recipe called for phyllo pastry, but my local Turkish greengrocer didn't have it so I used something similar that they did have. The pastry leaves are less thin and fine but also don't dry out as quickly. You also don't need to use as many layers (2 on the bottom, 2 on the top.)


I think I didn't put quite enough dill in the filling. It really can stand a lot. I also think that this recipe could  do well with one or two eggs added. I reduced the recipe by about one third, but it still ended up being enough for 4-6 servings.


Update: I've now made this recipe a number of times. I've used oval, square, and round dishes, I've made self-contained packets, I've used phyllo dough instead of yufka dejblade (as it's called). I've adopted Kaye's tip of sprinkling sesame seeds between the dough layers. It always works. 

Greek Onion-Leek Pie

10 leaves phyllo pastry
olive oil
2 large onions
2 large leeks
4 green onions
salt and pepper
200 grams of feta cheese
6-8 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped
3-4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons sesame seed

1. Cut the onions in half and slice them thinly. Slice the leeks in rings, including as much of the green as is tender. Slice the green onions in rings. Sauté the onions in the olive oil at medium heat until translucent.
2. Add the leeks, green onions, and salt and cook until tender. Turn the heat down to medium low and add a bit of water if the vegetables threaten to turn brown. Let them drain in a colander.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
4. Crumble the feta cheese, and mix in a bowl with the vegetables, chopped dill, and breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper!)
5. Grease a square or oval casserole or baking pan with olive oil. 
6. Working with 1 leaf of phyllo dough at a time, use a pastry brush to lightly oil each leaf with olive oil. Lay 5 oiled leaves in the bottom of the casserole, with the leaves overhanging the sides. 
7. Spoon in the onion-leek-feta filling, smoothing it out. Fold the overhanging phyllo leaves over the filling, and lay the remaining phyllo leaves over top. Tuck the overhanging edges under, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown.