ΒΑΘΜΟΣ ΔΥΣΚΟΛΙΑΣ
εύκολο
ΧΡΟΝΟΣ
30'
ΑΤΟΜΑ
4
ΥΛΙΚΑ
- 2 and 1/2 cups water
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 8–10 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups melted butter
- 3 cups grated sweet mizithra cheese
- 1 cup grated kefalotyri cheese
- ½ tsp fresh or dried, peeled and grated ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1 coin wrapped in aluminum foil, to be placed inside the pie for good luck
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup sesame seeds
Περιγραφή
The traditional Agiasos vasilopita is made throughout the year and not only on New Year’s Eve, as is customary in the rest of Greece. Its history is lost in time and mingles with that of St. Basil the Great in Cappadocia. The myth says that the jewelry was hidden inside its layers so that it could be shared out fairly. Made with a special technique, it consists of about 50 sheets of pastry, kneaded with boiled anise, oil, and orange, and filled with local dried myzithra cheese, thus combining savory and sweet in perfect proportion.
Εκτέλεση
For the dough: In a small saucepan, boil the water with the fennel seeds, then lower the heat and let them simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, let the seeds soak for another 5 minutes, then strain the water into a bowl and let it cool. Put 8 cups of the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Stir the baking powder, salt and sugar into the boiled water and pour the mixture into the well. Add the olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, mix the liquid and the flour, adding extra flour if needed, until a soft, pliable but smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour.
In the meantime, prepare the filling: Put the cheeses and spices into a medium bowl and mix them well. Cut two pieces of dough slightly smaller than the size of your fist and shape them into balls. Divide the remaining dough into 12 equal balls. Butter the base and sides of a deep, round, large baking pan and preheat the oven to 180°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first of the 2 larger balls into a circle larger than the pan and place it in the buttered pan so that the edges hang over the rim by about 5 cm. Brush the pastry with plenty of melted butter and sprinkle 1/3 cup of filling over it. Roll out the 12 smaller dough balls, one after the other, into circles the size of the pan. Layer the sheets, one at a time, brushing them with plenty of melted butter and distributing 1/3 cup of filling over each sheet. The last layer should be a thick sheet. Bring the edge of the bottom sheet up over the last layer to seal the sides. Brush the perimeter with plenty of melted butter. Roll out the second of the 2 larger balls into a slightly smaller circle, place this sheet carefully over the last sheet and press it towards the rim of the pan so that the sheet that protrudes stands upright against the sides of the pan. Gently press the whole pie down with your palms. Brush this final sheet with the egg and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. Bake the vasilopita until it is golden and baked through, for about 2 hours. The pie must be baked slowly at 180°C; only in this way will proper baking be ensured. Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool completely in the pan and serve.
In the meantime, prepare the filling: Put the cheeses and spices into a medium bowl and mix them well. Cut two pieces of dough slightly smaller than the size of your fist and shape them into balls. Divide the remaining dough into 12 equal balls. Butter the base and sides of a deep, round, large baking pan and preheat the oven to 180°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first of the 2 larger balls into a circle larger than the pan and place it in the buttered pan so that the edges hang over the rim by about 5 cm. Brush the pastry with plenty of melted butter and sprinkle 1/3 cup of filling over it. Roll out the 12 smaller dough balls, one after the other, into circles the size of the pan. Layer the sheets, one at a time, brushing them with plenty of melted butter and distributing 1/3 cup of filling over each sheet. The last layer should be a thick sheet. Bring the edge of the bottom sheet up over the last layer to seal the sides. Brush the perimeter with plenty of melted butter. Roll out the second of the 2 larger balls into a slightly smaller circle, place this sheet carefully over the last sheet and press it towards the rim of the pan so that the sheet that protrudes stands upright against the sides of the pan. Gently press the whole pie down with your palms. Brush this final sheet with the egg and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. Bake the vasilopita until it is golden and baked through, for about 2 hours. The pie must be baked slowly at 180°C; only in this way will proper baking be ensured. Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool completely in the pan and serve.