makes 20 to 30 pieces
These pies are one of the most beloved dishes on Ikaria, the Blue Zone island renowned for the longevity of its inhabitants. They are usually made with homemade phyllo, which is time-consuming to prepare, cut, and shape. Working with commercial phyllo makes it easy for anyone to assemble these. You can prepare then freeze them, and bake them off straight out of the freezer without defrosting them first.
¾ cup (180 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil, plus more as needed
1½ pounds (680 g) mixed non-bitter greens (any combination of spinach, sweet sorrel, sweet dandelion, Swiss chard, chervil)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 fennel bulb, chopped
3 red onions, chopped
2 leeks, trimmed, washed well, and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
2 large carrots, grated, or 1½ cups (165 g) grated pumpkin or butternut squash (see Note)
1½ cups (75 g) mixed chopped fresh herbs (any combination of mint, parsley, oregano, marjoram, savory, dill, fennel fronds)
1 pound (450 g) commercial phyllo, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly oil two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
In a large, deep skillet or wide pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Working in batches, add the greens, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the leaves are wilted and all the liquid they have released has cooked off, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a colander, and drain thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl.
In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel, onions, leeks, and scallions and cook until wilted and translucent, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the greens.
Add the grated carrot (or pumpkin or butternut squash) to the skillet and cook over medium heat to wilt, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the bowl. Mix in the herbs and season with salt and pepper.
On a clean work surface, roll out the phyllo in front of you horizontally. Cover it with a kitchen towel and then set a damp towel on top. You have to work fast, especially if the kitchen is hot. Take one sheet of the pastry out from under the towels, lay it horizontally in front of you, and brush it with olive oil. Take a second sheet and stack it on top, brushing that with olive oil, too. Cut from top to bottom down the length of the stacked sheets to make 3 or 4 equal-size strips, 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) wide, as desired.
Take a heaping teaspoon of the filling and spread it across the bottom of each strip. Fold in the sides and roll up to form cylinders. Place the cylinders seam-side down on the prepared baking sheets. Continue until all the filling or phyllo has been used. (At this point, you can wrap the cylinders—or triangles, if you’re making the variation—well and freeze them, then bake them directly from the freezer.)
Brush the surface of each cylinder with a little olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and serve.
NOTE: If using grated pumpkin or butternut squash, place it in a colander and salt it lightly. Knead it in the colander, squeezing out as much water as possible. Let stand for 1 hour to drain. You can opt to drain it even further by transferring it to a piece of cheesecloth and wringing out all the excess liquid.
Instead of rolling them, shape the pitarakia into triangles: Place one strip of phyllo on top of another, oiling both as above. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center bottom end of the double strip, about ½ inch (1.5 cm) from the edge. Take the right- or left-hand corner, whichever suits you more comfortably, and bring it up to the opposite side to form a triangle. Fold over across the width, then repeat in the opposite direction, continuing this way until you reach the top edge, the same way one folds a flag. Place the triangles seam-side down on the baking sheets, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake as directed.