If you are addicted to pies, you will love this kreatopita recipe. This traditional Greek meat pie is ideal if you are looking for a mouthwatering appetizer or snack. The stuffing of this pie may vary depending on taste. For instance, you may encounter a variation of this recipe using lamb meat as in several parts of Greece this is a traditional dish for Carnival and Ascension Day (the Thursday forty days after Easter that celebrates Christ’s rise into heaven). On the other hand, as I favor a lighter taste, I prefer using ground beef.
Kreatopita requires ground beef, onion, Greek olive oil, parsley, bechamel sauce, kefalograviera, phyllo dough, butter, salt, and pepper. Kefalograviera, just like kefalotyri, is a hard cheese available in Greek grocery stores, but not in regular supermarkets. If you cannot find this cheese, you can replace it with Parmesan cheese, which is the closest available equivalent.
One essential tip when you cook this pie is that the ground beef should be completely dry so that the phyllo dough will remain as crunchy as possible. Moreover, the stuffing layer should be as thin as possible. Finally, the ground beef should be as fresh as possible.
This easy kreatopita recipe, which serves 6 persons, takes 45 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to bake.
Kreatopita - Ingredients
- 1 kg of ground beef
- 1 onion finely chopped.
- 4 tablespoons of Greek olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of parsley finely chopped.
- Bechamel sauce
- 1/2 teacup of Parmesan, grated.
- 500 g of phyllo dough
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3/4 teacup of butter, melted.
Kreatopita - Instructions
- Start this kreatopita recipe by taking a large pot. Add the oil, and bring to boil.
- Add the ground beef and onion. Stir well so that the mixture does not curdle.
- Add the parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Allow ground beef to simmer until all liquids are absorbed.
- Prepare the bechamel sauce.
- Add the Parmesan cheese to bechamel and stir.
- Take a baking pan and place half of the phyllo dough. Butter each one well before you place it.
- Pour over the ground beef.
- Follow this easy bechamel sauce recipe.
- Now, evenly pour over the bechamel sauce.
- Cover the bechamel sauce with the remaining phyllo dough. Again, butter each phyllo before you place them.
- Preheat oven to 200 C.
- Cut the surface of the kreatopita into square pieces.
- Bake for around 50 minutes until the surface gets a nice brown color.
- Remove the kreatopita from the oven.
- Allow it to cool down for 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve.
You may also encounter this beef kreatopita as kimadopita. You can serve this with Greek lemon potatoes. Enjoy!