Monday's Greek Recipe - Kolokotes - Cyprus Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients

A. For the dough

• 8  tea cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tea cup olive oil
• 2 tea cups lukewarm water

B. For the Filling

• 11 tea cups diced pumpkin
• 1 & 1/2 tea cups crushed wheat
• 1 tea cup olive oil
• 1 level tablespoon salt
• 1 level tablespoon pepper
• 1 level tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tea cup raisins

Directions

• To make the filling, dice the pumpkin from the previous night and combine with all the filling ingredients except the raisins. Stir, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 12 hours.
• To make the dough, mix the flour with the salt and baking powder and add the olive oil. Using your fingers, rub the oil into the flour till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead with as much water as needed to make a firm dough. Cover for about half hour. Add the raisins and stir.
• Roll out the dough into relatively thin sheets. Make sure the sheets aren't too thin. Cut each sheet into pieces of 15x23 cm. Take the dough pieces, one by one, by the narrow side and put 2 tablespoons of filling on half of each piece.  Pull the other half sheet to cover the filling. Press the edges firmly with a fork to seal.
• Place the pies on ungreased, floured baking trays and bake in a pre-heated moderate oven (150*C) for about 45 minutes or till golden brown.

Note: You may use a pasta machine to roll out the dough.

Recipe by Mrs Sandra Lysandrou

Comments

[Stefania]

I love them but it seems when I try to make them, they never turn out as they should be. My mother has an old recipe inherited from her grandmother and she often bakes pumpkin pies for the whole family.

[Dr. Ayala]

Anastasia, looks great!
Is the pumpkin uncooked until it's baked in the pie?

[What Matters Most Now]

These look delicious Anastasia! I can't wait to try them!

[Laura]

I've never heard of your pumpkin pies which look very different from the ones we bake in the UK, but they certainly look delicious. Crushed wheat must add a very special flavour! I'd often get ready-made sweet short crust pastry and for the filling I use pumpkin flesh cut into medium-size chunks, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground spices, nutmeg, ground ginger and double cream. You can serve it chilled with equally chilled fresh cream, but I prefer it warm at room temperature - just perfect with a cup of tea on a rainy autumnal afternoon. How do you serve your pumpkin pies? Would you rather serve them chilled or warm?

[Christina]

Greece is famous for almost all sorts of pies: spinach pie, cheese pie, meat pie, pasta pie, leek pie.... Oh yes! We love pies here in Greece. It seems that pumpkin pie is the least popular although we love zucchini pies (kolokithopita). On my next day off work, I'm gonna try this recipe! I guess I'll be the first to bake a Greek pumpkin pie! Hope the crushed wheat won't spoil the flavor!

[Anastasia]

On the contrary, apart from being very healthy and nutritious, crushed wheat adds to the special flavour of the pies.
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[Anastasia]

Cyprus pumpkin pies are served rather warm at room temperature.
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[Anastasia]

They are, indeed! I'm sure you'll love them. And they are quite easy to make too.
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[Anastasia]

Yes, that's right. The pumpkin tastes best when baked into the pie.
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[Anastasia]

I suppose your great grandmother's recipe is the good, old authentic recipe for kolokotes. Would love to try it.
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[A Twitter User]

The look of these pies look like the Filipinos' empanada. Ours is dough-filled and crusted like these except it's filled with meat and veggies such as beef/pork, scallions,potatoes, etc.

Oh how I love pumpkin pies. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

[Anastasia]

I'm crazy about pumpkin cakes too. In Cyprus they're very popular and you can find them in bakeries. But they can't compare to the homemade ones.
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[Lakis Ioannou]

A great snack that I love to have with a hot cup of tea! I remember my mother making the kolokotes at the village and how much I enjoyed, as a child, rolling out the dough.

[Anastasia]

Hmm... I think your mum's pumpkin pies were the best.
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