Batzina! Savory crustless butternut pie

Greeks come bearing gifts… like Batzina!

My wife and I have tried several Greek dishes over the last few months, and this one scores a “10” for tastiness, ease of preparation, and an original solution to this year’s problem of so many butternuts, so little time. What a growing year! Sure, we’re drowning in tomatoes and leeks, but who knew we’d be stumbling over butternut squash buried under leaves?

DSC_0335small(my photo)

Easy-peasy!

This is adapted from a recipe on olivetomato.com, a terrific site for healthful Greek recipes where olive oil rules the roost. Here we go —

You’ll need:

  • 1 pound grated and peeled butternut squash – about 2 cups plus
  • 1/2 lb. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup olive oil, plus some extra for greasing the pan
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups flour

Now do this:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In a large bowl mix the milk, egg, feta (save a little for sprinkling on top later), olive oil and a pinch of salt.
  • Add the grated butternut and mix well.
  • Add the flour gradually until the dough is thickish (note that the original recipe called for 3 cups of flour, but we found this to be too dense. If 2 cups doesn’t seem enough, add some more).
  • Empty the dough into a greased pan. It should be less than 1 inch high.
  • Sprinkle some crumbled feta on top.
  • Bake for 45 minutes (a bit longer if you use more than 2 cups of flour). Then let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

There it is. Except to say I’m pretty well tapped out processing our huge harvest this year – some 80 jars of pasta sauce, pickles, apple sauce, chutney, hot salsa, hot salsa verde, with diced tomatoes still to come, plus several quarts of potato leek soup, bean and leek soup, tomato and leek soup down in the freezer. Enough…

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Need a good read for these longer, chillier nights? Pick one!

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Ned White

About Ned White

Ned White is a writer, novelist, crossword puzzle constructor, traveler through 49 states, and at times a danger in the kitchen. He lives with his wife in South Thomaston.