Ingredients
Makes 6 Individual Pies
For the Fillo Pastry pie casing
375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the pie filling
1kg beef chuck steaks
10 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine
700g passata
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups water, plus more if needed
For the potato mash
1.25kg potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Water
50g salted butter
200g Kefalograviera cheese, finely grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
For this Fillo Pastry recipe, take your chilled Fillo Pastry out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you begin, to bring it up to room temperature.
We used 10cm round ramekins, however you can use any sized ramekin or dish, and adjust the amount of pie filling you add accordingly).
To make the filling
Sprinkle salt over each side of the beef chuck steaks. Add the olive oil to your pot over medium to high heat. Sear and brown the beef on each side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Add another 5 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot along with the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the passata, bay leaves, oregano, and cinnamon. Stir through then add salt and pepper to taste. Add the beef back into the pot along with the water. Turn the heat down to medium and allow to simmer with the lid on for approximately 1.5-2 hours (checking occasionally in case more water is needed as it may evaporate before the meat is tender).
When the beef is tender and effortlessly falling apart, remove some of the sauce to serve over the mash potatoes once the pies are ready. Use two forks to pull the rest of the beef apart.
To assemble the pies
Place a single sheet of Fillo Pastry in front of you, with the short edge of the pastry facing you, and brush generously with olive oil. Lay another sheet of Fillo Pastry on top and brush with more olive oil. Cut across the middle of the Fillo horizontally to create two equal sized pieces. Pick up one half and place it over the other to form a cross.
Grease the pie ramekins and place the Fillo Pastry into the ramekin, ensuring that it’s pushed all the way in so the Fillo Pastry meets the edges of the ramekin and there is overhanging Fillo Pastry. Spoon in the beef filling.
Place a sheet of Fillo Pastry on your bench and brush it with oil. Cut the sheet in half and place the cut sheets on top of each other. Cut in half again and place on top of each other. Cut in half again and place on top of each other. Place the stacked Fillo Pastry over the pie and roll in the overhanging edges inwards to seal the pie. This will create a crunchy border. Brush with extra oil. Repeat with remaining pastry and beef.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until the pastry is golden in colour.
To make the mashed potato
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain the water from the pot. Add the butter and mash well. Mix through the grated kefalograviera cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the crunchy Fillo Pastry pies with a generous scoop of mashed potato on top and spoon over the reserved sauce on top.
Recipe, video & photography: Mary Politis from Mary’s Kouzina.
Watch how to make Greek Beef Pies with Greek cheese mashed potato