Recipe - Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie)

Karen Mintzias
1 Chicken, stewed
One fourth cup Butter or margarine
One fourth cup Allpurpose flour
2 One half cup Chicken broth/stock; warmed
One fourth cup Milk, optional
3 Eggs; lightly beaten
Three fourths cup Grated cheese *(see note)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Grated nutmeg
Thyme or mint leaves;chopped
12 Commercial filo sheets

*Note: Suggested cheeses are either Mizithra or Kefalotyri. If unavailable,
Parmesan or Romano could be substituted.
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Remove the bones and skin from chicken and discard. With your fingers tear
the chicken into strips, not too small. Set aside while you prepare the
sauce. Melt the 4 T butter in a heavy pan, then blend in the flour, without
scorching, over medium heat. Remove from the heat for a minute and stir in
the warm broth, then return to the heat and cook gently until the sauce
boils. Cool. Mix in the milk if the sauce seems too thick, then add the
eggs, cheese, a little salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.

Butter a 9 x 12 x 3inch baking pan and in it spread 6 filo sheets,
brushing each with melted butter. Pour in the chicken filling, then cover
with the remaining filo sheets. Tuck the top filo over the bottom and flute
the edges. Score the top 3 filo sheets with a sharp knife. Bake in a
moderate oven (350 F) for 40 minutes, or until crisp and golden chestnut in
color. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into 9
to 12 squares. Serve warm. (Serves 9 to 12)

Note: In Epirus, Kotopita is sometimes made with a large amount of onions.
If you would like to try it, use the recipe above plus 1 pound of Spanish
type onions. Peel and slice the onions, boil in water for 5 minutes, and
drain. Prepare the sauce without the cheese and bake the chicken and
onions in the sauce, between homemade filo, preferably, or commercial filo.

From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel Books, New
York.

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini