Casserole pie (flour pie)

Cashew in Vlach is cheese, that's why cashew pie. It is also called flour pie or of the moment or kusmeri or zarkopita (= naked, ie without a leaf, from the zarkos which in the mainland means naked). The most common continental pie, delicious and very easy to make (although the secret to make it well is hidden in the details…) has a long history, is made with simple ingredients and summarizes the invention of the cook who wants to quickly, deliciously and satisfactorily feed the whole family.

We tried it in many versions and each one had its own twist. Here we will present you the cassava pie, as it was made for us by Lila, a cold December morning, at Anemi hostel, in Kato Pedina. Overlooking the snow-capped peaks of Tymfi, we enjoy the warmth of its kitchen, in the attic of the beautiful hostel that they built together with her husband Pavlos Sakkas, when in 2007, they decided to leave everything in Athens and come to settle here.

Cassava pie

The ingredients for Lila casserole are:

• 4 handfuls (of flour) of flour
• 2 eggs for the mixture + 1 egg for the top
• Oil 1 cup + 1-2 shots of oil for the pan
• 1 piece of butter (optional)
• 1 glass of fresh milk
• 2 glasses of water
• Salt
• About 300 gr. feta or goat cheese (or more cheese if you want)

Implementation

Grease the pan with butter and pour the shotguns into the oil. (Attention: it wants a low and rectangular pan. In Epirus they have a special glazed pan for the pies called sini). I put the pan in the oven to burn well. In the meantime I make the mixture.

I mix all the ingredients (except for the 1 egg that I will put on top, and the butter that I will put in pieces also on top).

Last in the mixture I put the cheese, which I crush. I pour the mixture - which is porridge - into the burning pan. Add pieces of cheese, where missing, the pieces of butter and 1 beaten egg. Bake at maximum in the oven for about 50′-1 hour (depending on the oven). It is ready when the surroundings are very crispy.

And as Lila tells us: Make it well, cook it well and eat it well!