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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Thessalian Plastos (Πλαστός)
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Thessaly's plastos is the field-hand's greens pie: wild greens and feta on a rough bobota crust, folded at the edges and baked sturdy.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 35 min total
Yield8 servings
Plastos belongs to Thessaly, especially the plain where cornmeal and greens fed working kitchens without ceremony. It is not phyllo pie. It is bobota, a rough cornmeal crust, spread thin in a tapsi, loaded with wild greens, then folded at the edges so the pie can be cut and carried by hand.
The whole dish depends on the base. Cornmeal has no patience for vagueness here: it needs enough warm water and oil to press into a firm layer, and it needs a hard hand in the pan. Leave it loose and it crumbles. Press it well and it bakes into a sturdy, golden bottom that holds the greens like it was made for the field.
Use the greens the season gives you. In spring, bitter wild horta are best. In a city kitchen, spinach, chard, sorrel, and a little leek make a good honest filling. Feta is common in the rich version; for a nistisimo table, leave out the feta and egg, add a little more olive oil, and the dish still knows its name.
Plastos is a Thessalian cornmeal pie tied to the spread of maize in mainland Greek cooking after maize entered Europe from the Americas and became a poor household staple in the Balkans. In Thessaly and nearby mountain villages, bobota-style cornmeal dough replaced phyllo when wheat flour was scarce or too costly. The pie records a working kitchen: greens from the field, cornmeal from the sack, and enough oil and cheese when the household had them.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
coarse yellow cornmeal
Quantity
450g
divided
all-purpose flour
Quantity
80g
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
divided
warm water
Quantity
420ml
plus 2 tablespoons if needed
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
90ml
divided
mixed wild greens, spinach, chard, or sorrel
Quantity
900g
washed and roughly chopped
spring onions
Quantity
4
finely sliced
leek
Quantity
1 medium
white and pale green parts only, finely sliced
fresh dill
Quantity
25g
chopped
fresh mint
Quantity
15g
chopped
feta
Quantity
220g
crumbled
large egg
Quantity
1
lightly beaten
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| coarse yellow cornmealdivided | 450g |
| all-purpose flour | 80g |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1 teaspoon |
| warm waterplus 2 tablespoons if needed | 420ml |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oildivided | 90ml |
| mixed wild greens, spinach, chard, or sorrelwashed and roughly chopped | 900g |
| spring onionsfinely sliced | 4 |
| leekwhite and pale green parts only, finely sliced | 1 medium |
| fresh dillchopped | 25g |
| fresh mintchopped | 15g |
| fetacrumbled | 220g |
| large egglightly beaten | 1 |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •round metal tapsi, 32cm
- •wide mixing bowl
- •flat spatula for lifting the crust
Instructions
- 1
Salt the greens
Put the chopped greens, spring onions, leek, dill, mint, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a wide bowl. Rub them firmly with your hands until they darken, soften, and give off liquid. Squeeze out the excess moisture, not until they are dry as paper, but enough that they don't flood the cornmeal.
- 2
Mix the filling
Fold the feta and beaten egg into the squeezed greens. Taste before adding more salt, because feta brings its own. The filling should smell green and sharp, with enough cheese to season it, not turn it into a cheese pie.
- 3
Make the dough
Heat the oven to 200°C. Mix 350g of the cornmeal with the flour and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in 420ml warm water and 60ml olive oil until you have a soft, rough dough that holds together when pressed. If it crumbles, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- 4
Press the base
Oil a 32cm round metal tapsi with 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil. Press the cornmeal dough across the base and a little up the sides, keeping it about 8mm thick. This is the step that decides plastos: press it firmly and evenly, because a loose cornmeal base breaks before the slice reaches your hand.
Wet your fingers with a little water as you press. The dough should feel like damp sand becoming a crust under your palm. - 5
Fill and fold
Spread the greens over the base, leaving a 3cm border. Fold the edge of the cornmeal crust back over the filling in a rough ring. Sprinkle the reserved 100g cornmeal over the top, then drizzle with the last olive oil. Don't smooth it too much. Plastos is a field pie, not a polite tart.
- 6
Bake the pie
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the edges are deep gold, the top is speckled and crisp, and the underside releases cleanly when lifted with a spatula. Let it stand 20 minutes before cutting, so the cornmeal sets and the greens settle into the crust.
- 7
Serve warm
Cut into wedges or rough squares and serve warm or at room temperature. A good piece should lift in your hand without folding, with the greens soft inside and the cornmeal edge crisp under your teeth.
Chef Tips
- •Use mixed greens, not only mild spinach if you can help it. A little bitterness is the point. Dandelion, chard, sorrel, wild fennel tips, or beet greens all belong more than a bag of baby spinach pretending to be brave.
- •If you make it nistisimo, leave out the feta and egg, add 2 tablespoons more olive oil to the filling, and season the greens carefully. Orthodox fasting kitchens knew how to make pies without dairy long before anyone made a slogan of it.
- •Plastos keeps well because the cornmeal base firms as it rests. Rewarm wedges in a hot oven, not a microwave, so the edge returns to crispness.
Advance Preparation
- •Wash the greens up to 1 day ahead, dry them well, and keep them wrapped in a clean towel in the refrigerator.
- •Bake the plastos up to 1 day ahead and rewarm uncovered at 180°C for 12 to 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 250g)
Calories
455 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
50 mg
Sodium
730 mg
Total Carbohydrates
61 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
13 g
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