Pites are what Greeks call all kinds of pies (and yes, that ‘flatbread’ too) made with cheese, vegetables, meat, or sweet ingredients such as chocolate and custard, sandwiched between crispy layers of phyllo dough. There are also several pies, such as this savoury zucchini and trahana pie here, that are made without phyllo dough.

This crustless pita here is what my boyfriend’s mother – the mrs Julia from the title – calls ‘moutzopita’ (Μουτζόπιτα)*, or ‘trachanokseskoufoti’ (Τραχανοξεσκούφωτη), but I suppose you could simply refer to it as a kolokithopita (κολοκυθόπιτα) or ‘zucchini pie’ as well. It’s made with lots of grated zucchini and sour trahana, an ancient type of ‘pasta’ made from flour and sour milk or yoghurt, but what I like best are the chunky pieces of salty feta scattered throughout the pie and the generous amount of fresh herbs that is used to flavour it – usually basil, spearmint (dyosmos / δυόσμος), peppermint (menta / μέντα) and oregano, which my boyfriend’s mother picks straight from her garden on Naxos.

This pie is made for us almost every time we visit Naxos and sometimes it’s even brought from Naxos to our house in Athens by boat as well (together with loads of fresh produce from the garden). This year was the first time I asked if I could watch the pie being made and my boyfriend’s mother was generous enough to share her recipe and tips with me… and now I am sharing them with you! With permission, of course. Since this pie is crustless, there is no need to bother with making phyllo, so it’s an easy yet very delicious recipe that even I – a non-baker – can make. It’s a great Greek pie that you can serve as a snack, serve cold for breakfast, or serve as a main course with some tomato salad on the side.

*I’ve been told that the word ‘moutzopita’ can actually be considered to be a bit rude in Greek (though, all in good fun). While the word refers to the fact that you make slight indentations in the pie-batter with your fingers (see photograph above and recipe below), it can also refer to the rude hand gesture called ‘mountza’ or ‘moutza’ (open palm and finger’s spread at someone’s face) that is used by Greeks as an insult – naughty!

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Mrs Julia’s Kolokithopita me Trahana / Κολοκυθόπιτα με Τραχανά της κα Ιουλίας (Greek Crustless Zucchini and Trahana Pie)

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Easy recipe for a delicious crustless Greek zucchini and trahana pie with feta and herbs

• Difficulty:Easy
• Prep Time:15 mins
• Cook Time:45 mins
• Serves:8
• Freezable:No

Nutrition per portion

Ingredients

• 1kg grated zucchini + juices
• 500g dried sour trahana
• 3 large eggs
• 350g crumbled feta
• 3 spring onions
• 1 tomato
• Handful of mixed fresh herbs such as basil, oregano and (spear)mint
• 200ml good-quality olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Spicy chili peppers, optional
• -
• Needed: square or rectangle high rimmed baking tin of around 40cm x 30cm

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
2. Prep: Grate the zucchini and finely chop the fresh herbs and spring onion. Dice the tomato.
3. Mix all ingredients listed in a large bowl, but only add half of the oil. Stir to combine well.
4. Grease the baking tin with some of the leftover oil and pour the mixed ingredients into the tin.
5. Now, according to my boyfriend’s mother, the trick is to press into the mixture with your fingers to leave slight indentations all over the top of the pie (similar to as you would with focaccia, but this mixture is runnier). This is where the pie gets its name from and it helps to ‘catch’ little puddles of oil all over the top of the pie.
6. Pour the rest of the oil over the top of the pie.
7. Place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 40 – 45 minutes until the pie is set. Turn on the grill or broiler for the final few minutes to get a nice golden colour on top of the pie (keep an eye on it, don’t burn it), then turn off the heat and leave the pie in the residual heat of the oven for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove pie from the oven and allow to cool slightly then cut it into 16 pieces.