I’ve made this pita a few times last month and I am now sharing this festive recipe for a pita containing Pastourma, an air-cured beef with its origins in Caesaria (Cappadocia), Turkey. Greeks have a long history in this area and St. Basil the Great was born here.
St. Basil was known to care for the poor and underprivileged and in the Orthodox Christian faith, he is our Father Christmas (St. Nicholas is another dude). Greeks settled in lands far and beyond the borders of today’s Greece and the area of Cappadocia (Caesaria) was one of those regions with many Hellenes and…a food culture.
Pastourma was made and enjoyed by Greeks in Caesaria and those that still make this air-cured meat use old recipes from Cappadocia or from Armenians). Today’s pita contains Pastourma and although it can be made anytime of the year, I think it has more meaning when enjoyed during Christmas, in honour of St. Basil the Great from Caesaria.
You could make Pastourma or you can buy it from some Greek delis, Middle Eastern and Turkish shops have it and some Egyptian stores. The rind on the outside of the meat contains lots of garlic, paprika, cumin, allspice, fenugreek, salt and pepper. The pie I make also contains slices of tomato, and grated Kasseri cheese. If you can’t find this cheese, the more common Gouda works wonderfully too!
The recipe is inspired by Grandpa (Pappou) Tassos, a prolific youtube content creator. I’ve strayed a bit from his recipe but not too much. Enjoy!
Pastourmadopita
Course: Main, Meat u0026amp; PoultryDifficulty: Easy12
servings30
minutes1
hourIngredients
12 sheets of phyllo pastry (thawed in fridge if frozen)
1 cups grated Kasseri (or gouda) cheese
2 large eggs
300 gr. thinly sliced pastourma
2 or 3 tomatoes cut into thin slices
approx. 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
black and white sesame seeds
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Lay your fist sheet of phyllo in a lightly greased 11″x13″ pan (it’s ok if the excess phyllo overhangs. Lay another 6 sheets of phyllo, drizzling butter between each layer
- Crack the eggs and mix with the grated cheese and spread half of it over the phyllo.
- Lay the tomato slices over the cheese then top with your pastourma slices (tear with your hands if you want smaller pieces.
- Spread the remaining cheese over your pastourma. Lay the remaining 5 phyllo sheets, drizzling butter between each layer. Fold the overhanging phyllo inward and brush the edges and top layer with melted butter. Use your pastry brush to neatly tuck the the edges neatly toward the sides.
- Sprinkle the top with black and white sesame seeds and caregully score the top layers of phyllo into 12 squares with a sharp knife.
- Place in your pre-heated 350F for 50-60 minutes or until golden. Take out of the oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before serving. Serve with a side of Greek yogurt for dipping.
