serves 8 to 12
Here’s a delicious savory winter squash pie with a sweet touch, inspired by the many traditional sweet-and-savory pumpkin and other winter squash pies found all over Greece. This is a wonderful breakfast pie, but also makes a nice snack, midday meal, or main course with a fresh green salad on the side. The store-bought phyllo must be thawed in the refrigerator overnight, so plan ahead.
1 pound (450 g) #7 chilled or frozen commercial phyllo
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil, plus more as needed
4 pounds (1.8 kg) winter squash, such as butternut, pumpkin, or calabaza, peeled, halved, and seeded
1 large red onion, grated or finely chopped
¼ cup (9 g) dried mint, or 1 cup (50 g) chopped fresh mint
1 cup (145 g) Greek raisins or other seedless raisins
1½ cups (225 g) crumbled fresh myzithra, manouri, or ricotta salata cheese
½ cup (120 ml) petimezi (grape molasses)
½ to 1 cup (50 to 100 g) coarse plain dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Salt
1 cup (80 g) ground walnuts
Thaw the frozen phyllo in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to use the thawed or chilled phyllo, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan.
Grate the squash using a food processor fitted with the grating disc or by hand on the large holes of a box grater. Set aside in a bowl.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until wilted, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the squash and cook until all its moisture cooks off. Transfer the cooked squash to the bowl with the onion and let cool slightly.
Add the mint, raisins, cheese, petimezi, bread crumbs, cinnamon, and clove and season with salt.
Layer 7 phyllo sheets, one a time, inside the prepared baking pan, brushing each one with olive oil and sprinkling walnuts between each layer. Spread the filling over the surface of the seventh phyllo sheet, patting it down with a spatula to distribute it evenly. Cover with another 4 phyllo sheets, brushing each one with olive oil. Push the overhang down the sides of the pan and under the pie. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the phyllo is golden and the filling set. Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature, and serve.