Thessalian Kolokithopita (Κολοκυθόπιτα Θεσσαλίας)

Thessalian kolokithopita is the summer courgette pie of the mainland table: grated squash, feta, mint, dill, and phyllo baked in a tapsi until the top is crisp and the filling is soft but not wet. The region is the dish's surname. In Thessaly, pies are not decoration for a feast. They are supper, lunch, breakfast the next day, and something to send with a child wrapped in paper.

The one rule is not romantic. Salt the grated courgette and wring it dry. Courgettes carry a great deal of water, and if you leave that water in the bowl, it has only one place to go: into the bottom sheets. Drain it hard, then the feta can stay creamy, the herbs stay bright, and the phyllo bakes instead of steaming itself soft.

Use good feta, not the rubbery white block that tastes only of salt, and use mint while it still smells alive. I keep the filling plain on purpose. I don't invent it. I find it, I test it, I write it down. A proper kolokithopita needs courgette, cheese, herbs, oil, and patience. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones.