Chef Dimitra
Alevropita Zagoriou (Αλευρόπιτα Ζαγορίου)
Zagori's flour pie skips phyllo completely: a loose egg-and-flour batter, crumbled feta, and a hot buttered tapsi that makes the edges crisp.
Culinary Explorer
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Agrafa Batzina (Μπατζίνα), Courgette and Feta Pie
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Agrafa's batzina is the no-phyllo pie of Karditsa: grated courgette, feta, eggs, milk, and flour poured thin into a hot oiled tapsi.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield6 to 8 servings
Batzina is Agrafa's crustless courgette and cheese pie, a thin slab from the mountains above Karditsa where a pita can be made without rolling one sheet of phyllo. Grated courgette, feta, eggs, milk, and flour go into a wide oiled tapsi and bake until the rim browns and the middle sets tender, not cakey. The region is the dish's surname here: this is a Thessalian mountain pie, plain and useful, the kind that feeds a table on a Tuesday.
The method that decides it is thinness. Salt the courgette, squeeze it hard, then loosen the batter enough that it pours and spreads no deeper than a finger in the pan. Too much water gives you a pale, heavy middle; too much flour gives you a brick. Keep it loose, keep it shallow, and the oven does the rest.
I like it warm, cut into squares after it has settled, with yogurt and olives beside it. No phyllo, no fussing, no decoration. Good olive oil, and patience. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, especially for these mountain pites that look simple until one small habit goes missing.
Batzina belongs to the mountain and plain kitchens of Thessaly, especially Karditsa and the villages around Agrafa, where a pita did not always mean phyllo. The name is linked in Thessaly to batzos, the firm brined sheep and goat cheese once made in the region before feta became the easier household cheese. The dish records a poor but clever kitchen: garden courgettes, dairy, flour, and a wide pan that made supper without rolling a single sheet.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
courgettes (kolokythakia)
Quantity
800g
trimmed and coarsely grated
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g
divided
large eggs
Quantity
3
whole milk
Quantity
300ml
plus up to 60ml extra if needed
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
100ml
divided
all-purpose flour
Quantity
220g
fine yellow cornmeal
Quantity
45g
divided
firm sheep's milk feta
Quantity
250g
crumbled
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1g
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| courgettes (kolokythakia)trimmed and coarsely grated | 800g |
| fine sea saltdivided | 8g |
| large eggs | 3 |
| whole milkplus up to 60ml extra if needed | 300ml |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oildivided | 100ml |
| all-purpose flour | 220g |
| fine yellow cornmealdivided | 45g |
| firm sheep's milk fetacrumbled | 250g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1g |
Equipment Needed
- •shallow metal tapsi, 30x40cm
- •box grater with large holes
- •clean cotton towel for squeezing courgette
- •pastry brush for oiling the pan
Instructions
- 1
Salt the courgette
Put the grated courgettes in a bowl with 5g of the salt and toss well. Leave them for 15 minutes, then pile them into a clean cotton towel and squeeze hard over the sink until the water runs out in a stream and then slows to drops. You should have about 500g squeezed courgette. Water is the thief in batzina: leave too much in, and the pie bakes pale and heavy instead of thin and tender.
Large late-summer courgettes are wetter than small ones. If yours feel spongy, salt them for 25 minutes and squeeze again before mixing. - 2
Heat the tapsi
Heat the oven to 200C, or 180C fan. Set a shallow 30x40cm metal tapsi in the oven for 5 minutes. Lift it out carefully, brush the bottom and sides with 40ml of the olive oil, and scatter over 15g of the cornmeal so the base has something to grip.
- 3
Mix the batter
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, 300ml milk, 40ml olive oil, the remaining 3g salt, and the pepper. Whisk in the flour and 30g cornmeal until you have a smooth, loose batter. Fold in the squeezed courgette and 200g of the feta. The batter should pour slowly, like thick cream with vegetables in it; if it sits in a mound, loosen it with a little of the extra milk.
- 4
Fill it thin
Pour the batter into the hot oiled tapsi and spread it right to the corners. It should be about 1cm deep, no more than a finger. Scatter the remaining 50g feta over the top and drizzle with the last 20ml olive oil. If your pan is smaller, bake in two pans. Thick batzina is not generosity, it's a different pie.
The hot, oily pan gives the bottom its browned edge. A cold crowded pan gives you a soft slab with no character. - 5
Bake and rest
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the top is deep gold, the feta freckles have browned, and the edges pull away from the metal. Let the batzina rest for 15 minutes before cutting it into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature, with strained yogurt, olives, or a tomato cut open beside it.
Chef Tips
- •Use courgettes in their season, when they are firm and sweet. If all you have are tired watery marrows, make fasolada and wait. Sourcing wins.
- •Feta should be firm and salty, preferably sheep's milk. If you find real batzos cheese, use part batzos and part feta, but don't chase it across town for a Tuesday supper.
- •Batzina keeps well at room temperature for a few hours and reheats best in the oven, not the microwave. The edge should come back crisp and the middle should stay tender.
Advance Preparation
- •The courgettes can be grated, salted, squeezed, and refrigerated up to 4 hours ahead; pour off any liquid before mixing.
- •The baked batzina can stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or be refrigerated overnight and reheated at 180C for 8 to 10 minutes.
- •Do not mix the batter far ahead. Courgette keeps giving water, and the pie depends on a loose batter that goes straight into the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
425 calories
Total Fat
25 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
115 mg
Sodium
800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
36 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
13 g
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