Chef Dimitra
Agrafa Batzina (Μπατζίνα), Courgette and Feta Pie
Agrafa's batzina is the no-phyllo pie of Karditsa: grated courgette, feta, eggs, milk, and flour poured thin into a hot oiled tapsi.
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Constantinopolitan Su Boregi / Nerompoureko (Σου Μπουρέκι)
Created by
Constantinople's water pie is boiled before it is baked, with soft handmade sheets, salty cheese, and a burnished top that gives way to a silky middle.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
1 hr 20 min
Active Time
45 min cook•2 hr 5 min total
Yield10 servings
Constantinopolitan su boregi, called nerompoureko in many Greek kitchens of the City, is a water pie: handmade pastry sheets boiled first, then layered with cheese and baked in a round tapsi. That boiling is what makes it itself. Where spanakopita wants crispness, this pie wants softness, a tender pull between the layers and a browned top that still yields under the knife.
The method looks strange only the first time. You roll the egg dough thin, boil each sheet for less than a minute, cool it, drain it, and layer it while it is still supple. The water changes the bite of the dough. It becomes silky instead of brittle, which is why packaged dry phyllo gives you a different pie no matter how much butter you brush between the sheets.
Use a sharp feta and a melting yellow Greek cheese, kasseri if you can get it, graviera if that's what your shop has. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones. I write this one down carefully because the old Politiki cooks often kept the rhythm in their hands: boil, cool, drain, butter, layer. Once you do it once, your hands begin to understand.
Su boregi belongs to the shared Ottoman and Romios kitchen of Constantinople, where Greek-speaking families preserved it as part of Politiki kouzina. The name means water borek in Turkish, and the Greek nerompoureko translates the same idea: pastry sheets softened in boiling water before baking. In the refugee and diaspora kitchens after 1922, it remained a special-occasion pie because it needed time, a wide pot, and someone at the table who remembered how soft the sheets should be.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
plain flour
Quantity
500g
plus extra for rolling
large eggs
Quantity
5
for the dough
water
Quantity
60ml
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
for the dough
olive oil
Quantity
30ml
for the dough
feta
Quantity
250g
crumbled
kasseri or graviera
Quantity
250g
coarsely grated
large eggs
Quantity
2
lightly beaten, for the filling
unsalted butter
Quantity
120g
melted
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
60ml
water
Quantity
2 liters
for boiling the pastry sheets
fine sea salt
Quantity
18g
for the boiling water
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| plain flourplus extra for rolling | 500g |
| large eggsfor the dough | 5 |
| water | 60ml |
| fine sea saltfor the dough | 12g |
| olive oilfor the dough | 30ml |
| fetacrumbled | 250g |
| kasseri or gravieracoarsely grated | 250g |
| large eggslightly beaten, for the filling | 2 |
| unsalted buttermelted | 120g |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 60ml |
| waterfor boiling the pastry sheets | 2 liters |
| fine sea saltfor the boiling water | 18g |
Equipment Needed
- •round metal tapsi, 32cm
- •wide shallow pot, at least 30cm across
- •long thin rolling pin
- •wide skimmer or spider
- •clean kitchen towels for draining sheets
Instructions
- 1
Make the dough
Put the flour and 12g salt in a wide bowl. Make a well, add the 5 eggs, 60ml water, and 30ml olive oil, then mix until a firm dough forms. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and tight rather than soft. Cover and rest for 30 minutes, so the dough rolls without fighting you.
- 2
Mix the filling
Stir together the feta, kasseri or graviera, and 2 beaten eggs. Keep the filling loose and uneven, not mashed into a paste. Su boregi should have little pockets of salty cheese between the soft sheets.
- 3
Roll the sheets
Divide the rested dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece very thin, just large enough to fit a 32cm round tapsi with a little overhang. Flour lightly as you work, but don't bury the dough in flour or the boiling water will turn cloudy and gluey.
Keep the rolled sheets separated with a little flour and a clean cloth while you work. They should stay supple. - 4
Boil the sheets
Bring 2 liters water and 18g salt to a steady boil in a wide pot. Boil one sheet at a time for 45 to 60 seconds, until it softens and wrinkles like silk. Lift it out with a skimmer and drop it briefly into a bowl of cool water, then drain on a clean towel. This boiling is the whole character of the pie: it takes the pastry away from flaky pita and makes it tender, layered, and custardy inside.
- 5
Layer the pie
Heat the oven to 180C. Brush the tapsi with the melted butter mixed with the 60ml olive oil. Lay in one boiled sheet, wrinkling it gently rather than stretching it flat, then brush with the butter and oil. Repeat with 3 more sheets. Scatter over the cheese filling, then layer the remaining sheets above it, brushing each one well. Tuck the edges in softly.
- 6
Bake until set
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is deep gold, blistered in places, and the edges pull a little from the pan. Let it stand for 20 minutes before cutting. Too hot, it tears. Warm, it slices into squares with the soft layers still visible.
- 7
Serve warm
Cut into generous squares and serve warm or at room temperature. It belongs with black tea, a spoonful of thick yogurt if you like, or nothing at all. Good pastry doesn't need a parade.
Chef Tips
- •Kasseri gives the right pull and salt beside the feta. If you can't find it, use graviera, not a bland supermarket cheese that melts into rubber.
- •Do not skip the cool-water dip after boiling. It stops the sheet firming too far and lets you handle it without tearing. Drain it well, because puddles in the tapsi make the bottom heavy.
- •This pie is best warm, not fierce from the oven. Give it those 20 minutes on the counter and it will cut cleanly, with the layers settled and the cheese still soft.
Advance Preparation
- •The cheese filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
- •The dough can rest for up to 2 hours at room temperature, covered well so it does not dry.
- •The baked pie keeps for 2 days refrigerated. Rewarm uncovered at 160C until the top regains a little firmness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 160g)
Calories
560 calories
Total Fat
35 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
200 mg
Sodium
1100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
42 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
20 g
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