Βλάχικη Κουζίνα

Kassiata Pie

Vassiliki Liamou, Vassiliki Tsiouni, Giorgos Liamos

By this name are known many and varied cheese pies of the Vlachs. The specific one is quite peculiar as it contains yeast in its dough. Mrs. Vassiliki Liamou has learnt it from her mother (coming from Malakassi, Kalambaka), and informs me that in the past they made it with sourdough, but she prefers it with yeast, since it is “fluffier.” Butter is necessary, although now she does it with olive oil. They made it quite often, enjoying it as food, for lunch or dinner, since it was easy. Because of the ease with which they made it, they called it tempelopita (lazy pie). I learnt about it for the first time from Vassiliki’s daughter-in-law, Vasso Tsiouni, and of course her son, my friend Giorgos Liamos. 

Ingredients

250 gr. lukewarm water
25 gr. fresh yeast
1/2 teaspoon of salt
400 gr. strong flour
125 gr. melted fresh butter
400 gr. grated feta cheese

Way of preparation

Dissolve the yeast and the salt in the water. Gradually add the flour, and knead until you get a non-sticky dough. Divide it into six equal parts. Grease a cooking tray of 30 cm. Open each dough with your hands into a pie as big as a plate. Spread one in the cooking tray, grease it, and sprinkle 80 gr. of the feta cheese on top. Open the next pie in the same way, and place it on the first one. Pressing them with the hands, spread them in such as a way as to cover the whole tray. Repeat in the same way, until you have used all the ingredients. Grease the surface of the pie with as much butter as you have left. Cut it into pieces, and let it rise for 10 minutes, until the oven is hot enough. Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 180οC for 55 minutes (at some point, put the tray at the bottom of the oven, so that its lower part will turn brown, too).
Take it out of the oven, and cover it with a towel for 10 minutes.
Serve it lukewarm.