
Ingredients for the Rustic Phyllo with Raki:
- 500 g durum flour (55%)
- 220 g water
- 1 tablespoon of raki
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- Flour for rolling out the dough
Procedure:
We place the flour in a mixing bowl, creating a well in the centre, and pour in all the liquids. Knead the mixture until it forms a firm dough.
Shape the dough into a ball, coat it with a thin layer of olive oil, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
Once the dough has rested, divide it into balls weighing approximately 70-73 grams each. Roll out each ball into round sheets, about a millimetre thick, ensuring they're not too thin.
Ingredients for the Filling:
- 400 g boiled, mashed, and drained sweet pumpkin (yellow)
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 80 g blonde raisins
- 100 g walnuts, lightly crushed
Procedure:
Mix all the filling ingredients together and refrigerate while the dough is resting.
Spread the filling along one edge of each rolled-out phyllo sheet, forming a strip, and then tightly roll the sheet around the filling, twisting it to create a snail-like shape.
Arrange the pies on an oven baking pan, ensuring there is enough space between them. No more than 10 pies per pan. Pour plenty of oil underneath each pie and drizzle the same amount on top.
Bake the pies for 40-45 minutes at 140 degrees Celsius, and then increase the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius for the final 10 minutes.
Once baked, transfer the pies to a cooling rack to maintain their crispiness as they cool.
Lena Igoumenaki
President of the Cretan Cuisine Festival Association
Cretan Cuisine Festival

Mizithropites: Authentic Cretan Pies

Meat cake

Chania Boureki or Courgette Boureki

Topia (Balls)

The Traditional 'Bread of the Year'

Snails with Broad Beans and Artichokes

Cretan Ospriada or Palikaria (A Legume Dish)

Chickpeas with Wild Leeks, Flour and Lemon Sauce

Pies with ‘Yachnera’ Greens

Fennel Pie
Sfakian Pie or Sfakianopita
Biscuits with Sesame Seeds
Sweet Rice Pie or 'Tzoulamas'

Apostoli White-Eyed Bean

Almond-Infused Goat Dish with Fennel: A Fresh Delight

Lazarosavato

The Holy Week Sourdough

Nerati Mizithropita

Easter Eggs

Kalikota

Stuffed Courgette Flowers

Stuffed Vine Leaves
Cracked Wheat and Snails

Chochli Boubouristi (Snails Face Down)

Mangiri

Symian Bean

Cretan Pilaf

Rethymno Water Pies

Xerotigana

Agnopites

Patoudo

Safidota

Kakavia (Fish Soup)

Cretan Greek salad

The Sweet Bounty of the Cretan Harvest

Okra and Unripe Grape

Kapriko

Discovering and Cooking Asphodelaceae: A Taste of Local Cuisine

Moustokouloura

Pie with 'Yachnera' Greens: Baked to Perfection

Pumpkin Stifado

Xinochondros: Sour Bulgur Pasta

Prickly Pear or Indian Fig

Black Bryony
Tahini Soup without Oil

Chylofta with Milk

Tyrozouli or Cretan Home Cheese

Pickled Tassel Hyacinth
Sourdough Dagoulakia

Quince Confection
Delicious Homemade Treat with Lemon Blossoms

Tiganopites: Greek Fried Pies
Dietary Practices in 17th Century Crete

Lychnarakia

Lazarakia

Kalitsounia from Chania

Apaki with Xinohondros and Vegetables

Chickpeas with Yachnera: A Delightful Dish

Gastrin

Fotokollyva

Dyeing Easter Eggs with Madder Root and Flower Blossoms

Biza or Manarolia Stew with Eggplants