Finger-Sized Fried Greens Pies

Name: Finger-Sized Fried Greens Pies (Nistisimes Hortopites)
Yield: Makes about fifty 3½-inch-long pies
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound mixed greens (such as spinach, Swiss chard, dandelion greens, arugula and/or mesclun), coarsely chopped; Olive oil and safflower oil for frying; 1 recipe Cretan Phyllo; 5 scallions (white and most of the green parts), thinly sliced; ½ cup chopped onion; 1 leek (white part plus 3 inches of the green part), finely chopped; 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped; ⅓ cup olive oil

Nistisimes Hortopites

Preparation info

Makes about
fifty
3½ inch -long pies

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Foods of the Greek Islands

By Aglaia Kremezi

Published 2000

About

THESE PIES are traditionally made on Clean Monday, the first day of Lent in the Greek Orthodox tradition, so they have no cheese, unlike most greens pies. A great finger food for a buffet lunch or dinner, a meze spread or a picnic, hortopites can be fried in advance and served at room temperature.

Ingredients

⅓ cup olive oil
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
1 leek (white part pl

Method

In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the fennel, leek and onion for 4 minutes, or until soft. Add the scallions and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the greens and sauté, stirring frequently, until they start to wilt. Stir in the parsley and dill and cook just until wilted. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.

Working with 1 portion at a time, cut the phyll