Milk pie from Mani of Greece

MILK PIE FROM MANI OF GREECE

First recipe

Ingredients

1600 ml milk

200 g. sugar (Some people like the dessert very sweet and others less sweet. It is better to try the milk when you mix it with the sugar to see if it is sweet enough or if it needs more sugar)

70 g. of margarine

140 g. coarse semolina

3 large eggs

Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

Put in a pot the milk, the sugar and the margarine.

Place the pot over medium heat and heat up.

When the milk warms up a bit, pour the semolina little by little into the pot stirring constantly.  

The ideal is the semolina to dissolve in the milk without making any lumps.

But if lumps are created, submerge the hand blender in the custard and knock it until homogenous.  

Boil the custard until it thickens.

Remove the pot from the heat and leave it to cool slightly.

Beat the eggs with a whisk. Pour them into the pot and stir.

Add the lemon zest and mix again.

Add a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Grease a round 34 cm in diameter non-stick pan.

Sprinkle the pan lightly with sugar to prevent the sticking of the custard.

Empty the custard into the pan. Spread it evenly throughout the pan.

Place the pan in the oven on the first rack from the bottom.

Bake at 180 C degrees for about 40 minutes.

The cream should not be very stiff. It is okay if it trembles slightly.

Remove the milk pie from the oven and leave it to cool completely.

Put it in the fridge to set.

When you serve the milk pie, put cinnamon on its surface.

Second recipe

In this recipe you need the same ingredients as before. There are differences in the way you will make the milk custard.

Instructions

Put in a pot the milk and the sugar and heat over medium heat.

Put in another pot 70 grams of margarine or 35 g. of butter and 35 g. of margarine, or 70 g. of butter.

Place this pot over medium heat.

Wait for the butter or the margarine to melt.

Once melted, pour into the pot semolina and stir.

Let the semolina to cook and get golden in color.

With a big cup take hot milk from the first pot and pour it in the semolina.

Add milk over and over again. Continue this way until you pour all the hot milk into the pot.

Leave the custard to boil until it thickens.

If lumps are created use the hand blender to knock them and homogenize the custard.

Remove the custard from the heat.

Let it cool slightly.

Beat the eggs with a whisk.

Pour them into the custard and stir well.

Add the zest of one lemon and a tablespoon full of lemon in the custard.

Butter one nonstick round pan 34 cm in diameter and sprinkle it lightly with sugar.

Spread evenly the custard into the pan.

Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven.

Bake at 170 C degrees for about 45 minutes.

When the cake is ready, it takes a dark beige color and smells nicely.

Remove it from the oven and leave it to cool.

Put the pie for one hour in the fridge to set.

When you will serve it put cinnamon on its surface.

I prefer this recipe.

The milk pie that I make following this recipe is more compact and more stable than the one I make with the first recipe.

 Both recipes are widely used.

Idividual cheese pies

INDIVIDUAL CHEESE PIES

(These pies are made in the Greek islands)

Sheet

Ingredients

1 kilo of hard flour or all purpose flour + flour for the opening of the sheet

2 teaspoons baking powder

250 grams of yoghurt,

250 grams of Philadelphia cream cheese

90 g. of olive oil

A little milk if necessary                                                                                                                                                                               

Stuffing

Ingredients

200g gruyere cheese

600 grams feta cheese

300 g. Philadelphia cream cheese

330 ml. cream 30% fat

3 large eggs

A little milk if necessary

Instructions

Dough

Put the flour in a bowl. Open in the middle of it a puddle.

Pour in the puddle the oil and mix lightly.

Add yogurt and Philadelphia cheese and mix again.

Pour the baking in the flour and knead. You are trying to make soft and smooth dough.

If your dough is not smooth, because its liquid is not enough, add a little milk.

When you achieve smooth and soft dough that does not stick to the hands, stop kneading.

Wrap the bowl around with plastic wrap.

Put a clean fluffy towel over it and cover the bowl.

Leave the dough covered in a warm place to rest.

Stuffing

Grate the gruyere and put it in a bowl.

Rub the feta cheese with your hands and pour it in the bowl.

Add the Philadelphia cheese, the eggs slightly beaten and the whipping cream.

Mix all the ingredients together.

The filling should be like a thick batter.

If it looks to you very tight, add some milk to dilute.

Open thesheet

Divide the dough into three equal balls.

Take each ball separately and open it into a large sheet.

Use a round dish 10 cm in diameter to cut the sheet into circles.

Assembling  

Dip one of your hands into a bowl of water and wet slightly the upper side of every circle of sheet. 

If the surface of the sheet circle is slightly wet, when you fold it the two halves stick together.

Put a teaspoon full of stuffing on the surface of every circle of dough.

Enclose the filling between the two halves of every circle sheet and stick them together.

In this manner put filling on every circle sheet and then close the pie.

Put the pies on a greased and floured baking pan one next to the other.

Knock one egg well and with a brush suffuse over all the pies.

Peg 4 times a toothpick in the upper part of each pie and make small holes.

From these holes the steam goes out of the pie without breaking it.

Place the pan in the oven on the first rack from the bottom.

Bake in preheated oven at 175 C degrees for 40-45 minutes. 

 

  

Salmon fillet on the grill

SALMON FILLET ON THE GRILL

Ingredients

50 g. olive oil1
boneless salmon fillet about 800g.

1 tablespoon grated coriander

1 tablespoon mustard powder

Salt to taste

The juice of 2lemons

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Instructions

Wash the salmon fillet.

The leather of fillet is scratched only from one side.

Put the washed fillet in a pizza pan.

Sprinkle the skin of the salmon with salt, pepper, coriander powder, mustard powder and smear it with olive oil.

Turn the fish on the other side and sprinkle it with all the previous spices. Coat it carefully with oil.

Turn the fish again so its leather comes above. 

Pour the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice all over the fish.

Put the sprigs of rosemary over the fish.

Do not put any water.

Place the pan in the oven in the second rack from top, just under the grill.

Turn on the grill at 250 C degrees.

Bake the fish for eight minutes on one side. Then flip at the other, and bake 5 more minutes

This time is sufficient to cook the fish and keeps its juices .

Remove the pan from the oven.

Cut a small piece of salmon and taste it.

If the taste needs correction correct it.