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Plastos
Plastós: Epirus cornmeal pie of wild greens, leeks and feta, with no pastry
Plastos comes from the hill villages of Thesprotia and Ioannina, where women patted (plastó, 'shaped') a pie together from what the garden and hillside gave: wild greens, leeks, herbs and cheese, held between layers of coarse cornmeal instead of filo. It bakes into a crusty, rustic slab, green and savoury inside, eaten warm with yoghurt or as a lunch to carry to the fields. Feta is usually made with animal rennet; a vegetarian feta-style cheese works. Common mistake: leaving the greens wet — squeeze them hard after salting, or the cornmeal turns to paste. Chef's tip: a mix of spinach and chard with plenty of dill and fennel tops comes close to the wild greens of Epirus.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the greens
For the cornmeal
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Toss 2 ¼ lb spinach and Swiss chard, 2 leeks and 6 spring onions with 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl and rub for a minute. Leave for 20 minutes to wilt.
20 minStep 2: Squeeze the greens by handfuls as hard as you can and discard the liquid. Mix with 1 oz fresh dill, ½ oz fennel fronds or mint, 9 oz feta and ¼ cup olive oil.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Oil a 30 cm round or 25 × 35 cm tin with 1 ½ tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with a third of 10 ½ oz medium cornmeal in an even layer.
Step 4: Spread the greens over the cornmeal, pressing them down lightly. Scatter the remaining cornmeal over the top to cover completely.
Step 5: Mix 1 ¼ cups hot water and ¾ cup milk and pour slowly and evenly over the top so the cornmeal is moistened all over; some dry patches are fine. Drizzle with the rest of 2 ½ tbsp olive oil.
Step 6: Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top is golden and crusty and the edges have pulled away from the tin.
50 minStep 7: Rest for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Good warm or cold.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does plastos take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of leeks?
- 1 onion per leek.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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