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By Maria Athanasopoulos
Kolokotes
As soon as fall hits, pumpkins immediately appear on every door step, in every recipe whether sweet or savory and on nearly every restaurant menu. There’s pumpkin ravioli, risotto with pumpkin, pumpkin chili and, of course, the ever so popular pumpkin pie. It really seems like pumpkin is used everywhere! I am also guilty of over using Halloween’s most prized prop, Bread & Honey’s November 2008 Thanksgiving recipe was Greek Pumpkin Pie. For the sake of culinary creativity, I decided to go beyond pumpkin and began to experiment with various types of winter squash by incorporating it into bisques, muffins, soufflés, casseroles, and even used it as a pizza topping! Not only did I finally realize how much sweeter it tastes than pumpkin, I also discovered that squash is a power food full of phytonutrients, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.
In the midst of my intense squash experimentation, I created many unique and exquisite squash recipes, but I kept thinking about the conventional Thanksgiving meal that many Americans feast on, which naturally includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie. How would an uber gourmet and “frou-frou” squash recipe fit into a menu consisting of things so ordinary? Inevitably, not well. Since this is a Greek food column I am choosing to share something Greek, that’s not that fancy and goes beyond pumpkin. I introduce to you my seasonal family favorite that will make a fantastic addition to your Thanksgiving spread: Kolokotes.
These are mini sweet and savory Cypriot pies stuffed with butternut squash, raisins and bulgur wheat. My version stems from my mother’s hometown Morphou and is a very traditional recipe that is centuries old. Kolokotes were originally made specifically for the Lenten period before Christmas because they are fast-friendly; however they have come to be enjoyed year-round due to their superb taste and exceptional health benefits. Kolokotes can be eaten for a snack or even as a meal when paired with some low fat yogurt or a piece of sharp artisan cheese.
This may be a complex recipe but I assure you its worth the trouble, especially since you can freeze kolokotes and enjoy them for months!
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Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: Makes 24 mini pies
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 5 cups butternut squash
- 2 cups bulgur wheat, uncooked
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Dough:
- 3 pounds whole wheat flour
- 1 pound all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons dry yeast
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 to 6 cups lukewarm water
Preparation:
- Peel the butternut squash, using a spoon remove the seeds and threads and cut into tiny ¼ inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling together, cover and set aside for at least 3 hours or overnight if you are pressed for time.
- Stir dry yeast and sugar into 1 cup lukewarm water to dissolve and rise. If water is cold, the yeast will not grow. Let stand for 3 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, salt, and oil. Using your hands, slowly knead in the yeast mixture. Continue to knead, add more water if dough is still very dry. When the dough is stiff enough to work, turn out on a floured board and knead a good 10 to 12 minutes, working in a little of the remaining flour as necessary. Set aside for 30 minutes to rise.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out a small piece of dough thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut out a 6 inch round circle and place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling over the center bottom half and cover with top half of dough. Using your fingers, roll the edges inward and press down firmly with a fork to seal. The shape will resemble a half moon. Repeat above steps with remaining dough and filling.
- Place mini pies onto oiled cookie sheets and bake for 30 minutes or until browned. Cool on racks for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Kolokotes are fabulous paired with a flavorful cup of chamomile tea with honey. Kali Orexi!
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