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greek fennel & feta cheese pie "marathopita"

WWCook1 avatar
Recipe by
Maria *
@WWCook1
Athens

I always have had fennel growing in my garden, but always got rid of it along with other weeds, cause I never knew it's value:) Until one day a Cretan friend came over and asked me what do I do with the fennel. She almost freaked out when I said "I throw it out" She taught me a few ways the Cretans use fennel. She gave me this easy recipe which we liked so much I've made it 3 times in the past 3 weeks. It makes a light meal or snack. Warm or room temperature just as good. Can be kept in closed oven or on the counter covered. Hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we do.

yield 10 -12
prep time 20 Min
cook time 55 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For greek fennel & feta cheese pie "marathopita"

  • 1 c
    butter, melted & cooled
  • 1 c
    strained, greek yogurt
  • 1 1/4 c
    self-rising flour
  • 3 bunch
    fresh wild fennel*, only fine leaves, chopped
  • 1 bunch
    green onions, white & green parts finely chopped
  • 1 lb
    spinach (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • salt & pepper (caution on salt cause feta is a salty cheese)
  • * IF YOU CAN'T FIND WILD FENNEL, YOU CAN TRY SUBSTITUTING A FINELY CHOPPED FENNEL BULB AND 1 CUP CHOPPED DILL. WHILE THE ONION IS COOKING, ADD 1/3 CUP OUZO OR 2 TSP GROUND FENNEL SEEDS FOR A SIMILAR TASTE.

How To Make greek fennel & feta cheese pie "marathopita"

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, melted butter but cooled, and yogurt..Start with 1 cup flour as you might not need all the amount of flour. The mixture might be crumbly, it will smooth as you knead. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface & gently knead to form a smooth ball. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20-30 minutes, or store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  • 2
    In a skillet saute the chopped green onion, fennel and spinach if using and set aside to cool.
  • Fennel Pie Filling
    3
    In a large bowl combine the cooled fennel & onion mixture with the crumbled Feta cheese. Add pepper and very little salt as Feta is a salty cheese. Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil on top and with your hands crush the mixture to combine.
  • 4
    Divide dough in half. Lightly flour work surface and roll out each half of dough and spread it as thin as you can to fit your baking pan. I use my oven's shallow pan, 16x12 in. You can use a large cookie sheet as this pie does not rise.
  • 5
    Pour the fennel & feta mixture. Evenly spread it in the pan. The same way roll out the other half dough and lay on top. Tuck the edges inwards and score into serving (squares) pieces.
  • Fennel Pie ready to be baked
    6
    Bake for about 45- 60 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Kali Orexi = Good Appetite
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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