Tsaitia Lakonias (Τσαΐτια Λακωνίας)

Tsaitia Lakonias are Laconia's thin fried rolls, tied especially to Monemvasia: handmade dough wrapped around wild greens, fennel, dill, and mint, then fried until the surface blisters and turns crisp. The region is the dish's surname. These are not generic little pies. They taste of horta, good olive oil, and the practical Peloponnesian habit of making a handful of greens feed a table.

One thing decides them. The filling must be dry before it touches the dough. Wilt the greens briefly, squeeze them hard, then cool them before you roll. If the horta is wet, the pastry softens from the inside and the oil complains in the pan. Dry greens give you a clean bite, with the herbs bright and the shell crisp around them.

The version I record here keeps the greens in charge. Outside the fast, some Laconian households crumble in a little fresh myzithra or feta, but the roll must not become a cheese pie. During Lent it stands beautifully without dairy, nistisimo by instinct rather than adjustment. Some finish the fried tsaitia with a thread of thyme honey, and that small sweet edge suits them. Small, not syrupy. Λίγα και καλά.