Cretan pastry with courgettes, mint and feta

Cretan pastry with courgettes, mint and feta

Recipe by Marianna Leivaditaki
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Write a short description here

Ingredients

  • Pastry
  • 500g plain organic flour

  • 100ml Olive oil

  • Tepid Water (as much as it takes)

  • Salt

  • Filling
  • 4 medium pale green courgettes

  • 100g feta

  • 1 handful fresh mint

  • Black pepper

  • Salt (if needed)

  • 300ml olive oil or good quality vegetable oil for frying

Directions

  • Put the flour in a bowl and pour in the olive oil and salt. Begin to add the water slowly and mix by hand until you have a smooth, elastic dough. If you find you need a bit more water, add it until the dough is lovely and soft and not sticky. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Grate the courgettes on the large side of a box grater. Place in a bowl, season with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime chop the mint and crumble the feta into another bowl. Press the courgettes between your palms to get rid of excess water and add them to the bowl. Add the black pepper and salt if needed.
  • Dust a flat surface with flour and roll the pastry out as thinly as you can without it breaking. The thinner you get it the lighter your pastries will be. Use a small plate around 10cm in diameter, to cut out discs and dust them with flour to avoid them sticking. Take a tablespoon of the filling and place it in the centre of the disc. Close the disc to create a half moon shape. Press gently to flatten the shape. Use the edge of a fork to seal the edges.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the pastries and cook gently on both sides until golden.
    Remove from the pan and place on kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Eat immediately.