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Recipes from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

Chicken pie.
Chicken pie.Supplied

Chicken pie

(Kotopita)

Serves 8

Figs stuffed with ricotta, honey and walnuts.
Figs stuffed with ricotta, honey and walnuts. Supplied
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1 small chicken
1 quantity Traditional Flaky Pastry (see below) or bought puff pastry
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil, plus extra for pastry
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1½ cups rice
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
5 spring onions, thinly sliced
freshly milled sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 200C and grease a 30-centimetre pie dish.

Put chicken in a stockpot with enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes, or until meat is falling off the bone. Drain, retaining 5 cups (1.25 litres) of the stock, and set chicken aside, covered, until cool enough to handle, then remove meat from bones and shred it into a bowl. Set aside.

Slow-baked root vegetables in honey and balsamic glaze.
Slow-baked root vegetables in honey and balsamic glaze. Supplied

Divide pastry into five portions and roll three of those portions out thinly to 30 centimetre diameter. Put the first portion in the base of the prepared dish. Sprinkle with a little olive oil then add the second portion on top. Sprinkle with olive oil again, then add the third portion.

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Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and saute onion until translucent. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until rice starts to become translucent. Add fresh herbs and spring onions, and cook until wilted.

Slowly add four cups of the reserved chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until rice is almost cooked. Add shredded chicken and stir well.

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, by Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos.
The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, by Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos. Supplied

Pour rice and chicken filling on top of pastry in pie dish. Roll out the remaining two portions of pastry to 30 centimetres. Place one on top of filling, then brush with olive oil and add the second. Cut a few slits on top of pie, brush with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

Remove from oven, pour remaining reserved stock over pie, then return to oven for five minutes to crisp up pastry.

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Quick version:

* Use puff pastry but you only need one layer each for the bottom and top.

* Use roast chicken, remove meat and shred (discard skin).

* Replace chicken stock with ready-made chicken stock (liquid stock).

Traditional flaky pastry

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Makes 1 quantity

3⅓ cups bread-making flour, plus extra for dusting
1 egg
½ cup lukewarm water
½ tsp salt

Place the flour in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in egg, lukewarm water and salt. Turn out on to a floured benchtop and knead until soft and smooth.

Figs stuffed with ricotta, honey and walnuts

(Gemista ika me ikota kai meli)

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Serves 6

300g mascarpone or ricotta
½ cup honey, plus extra for drizzling
½ tsp ground nutmeg, plus extra for sprinkling
¼ cup crushed walnuts
¼ cup crushed hazelnuts
12 fresh figs

Mix mascarpone with honey, nutmeg and half of each of the nuts. Cut a cross into the top of each fig, and pinch them open. Fill each fig with the cheese and honey mixture.

Sprinkle over extra nutmeg and remaining hazelnuts and walnuts. Serve with a little drizzle of honey. Slow-baked root vegetables in honey and balsamic glaze

Pantremena lahanika to fourno

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Serves 10

5 small beetroot, roots and leaves trimmed
6-8 Dutch carrots, peeled
6-8 purple carrots, peeled
8-10 radishes, roots and leaves trimmed
5-6 Chat potatoes, whole, unpeeled
5-6 small Desiree potatoes, whole, unpeeled
4-5 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
4-5 golden shallots, whole, peeled
1 cup baby spinach leaves
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
½ cup water
freshly milled sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 150C. Wrap beetroot in aluminium foil and arrange in a roasting tin with the other vegetables except the spinach leaves.

Pour over olive oil, vinegar, honey and water, season with salt and pepper, then bake for one hour. Toss the spinach leaves through before serving.

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, by Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos. Macmillan. $34.99

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