Hortopitakia: Mini Pies from Crete filled with Greens

These crispy hand pies are filled with aromatic greens and creamy feta! Hortopitakia is easy to make and perfectly freezes, so you can always have them on hand.

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Hortopitakia is a classic Cretan recipe. It is near and dear to my heart because Crete is the island my family comes from, and it takes me way back to my childhood. They’re little hand pies filled with a variety of greens and herbs. In my version of hortopitakia, I add feta even though it’s not traditional. I add feta to everything, and it makes these hand pies creamy and extra delicious.

What greens do you use in hortopitakia?

Hortopitakia has always been made with the greens that are in season and local to your area. My favorite greens from Crete are called vlita, also known as amaranth. It’s impossible to find here in America, but please let me know if you know where I can find it!

So, I like to use a combo of mixed greens that include bitter greens to add a nice complex flavor. Mixed greens and baby spinach go well together and can easily be chopped before you cook them. You can try dandelion greens or fibrous greens, too. To make sure they aren’t still hard after your hortopitakia is done, remove the hard stems and cook them in water until they are soft and tender.

Why these hand pies will be your favorite!

• Light, flaky, crisp pastry
• Creamy, herby filling
• Make ahead and freeze for lunch, snack, or party!

How to make the best hand pie dough?

The dough for hortopitakia has just a few ingredients to make it light, airy, and crisp. You can use it to make any pie, and it always comes out perfectly. A few tips to remember:

• Don’t over mix the dough, or it will become hard
• If you don’t have a mixer, do it by hand. If the dough feels too sticky, grease your hands to knead it instead of adding flour. Too much flour will create dry dough.
• If you have a pasta roller, start on the thickest setting and turn down to the next thinnest setting each time you pass the dough through the rollers. Flour your dough each time before sending it through, so it passes through your pasta roller well and doesn’t stick.
• Get as much air out of the dough as you can before you seal your pie because once it’s trapped, it will be hard to get out. Large air pockets will create large air bubbles in your pies when frying, making it hard to manage in the frying pan.
• Poke holes in the top of each pie to allow it to release any trapped air and steam. This will keep them from popping or opening while frying.

What’s in hortopitakia?

For the dough:

• All-purpose flour
• Olive oil
• Water
• Vinegar- white or red, or you can use lemon juice
• Salt

For the filling:

• Olive oil
• Onion- finely chopped, or you can use leaks if you have them
• Scallions- thinly sliced
• Mixed baby greens- roughly chopped
• Spinach leaves- roughly chopped
• Parsley- stems removed and leaves finely chopped
• Fresh mint- stems removed and leaves finely chopped
• Dried dill- can substitute ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Feta cheese- leave out the cheese to make it vegan!

Can you turn these hand pies into a standard pie?

Yes! If you don’t want to make individual hand pies, make a 10-inch pie. Cut your dough into only two pieces, and roll them out as thin as possible in rounds. Place one dough in the bottom of your pie pan and brush with olive oil. Fill the dough with your filling mixture and place the other dough on top. Seal the edges, cut the excess dough off, and poke holes all over the top with a fork to release air and steam. Bake your pie in a 350º oven for about 1 hour or until golden brown.

How to make Hortopitakia?

Make the dough:
In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the dough hook, add the water, vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Whisk together. Add the flour and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Toss the dough to coat and cover with plastic wrap or with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Prepare the Filling:

• In a large skillet, add the chopped onion and the olive oil with a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until soft. About 6-7 minutes.
• Add the scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft.
• Then, you’ll add the chopped greens in a few batches. As soon as the first batch wilts, add another batch. Season each batch lightly with salt. Increase the heat to medium-high so that the juices that are released evaporate.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the herbs and black pepper. If adding feta, crumble it in at this time. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning if desired.
• If you’re not adding feta, add the juice of half a lemon plus a half teaspoon of lemon zest to the greens. Set the filling aside to cool and try not to eat most of it…

Assemble the hand pies:

• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide it into 8 equal portions.
• Note: If you have a pasta roller attachment for your stand mixer or a pasta roller that is hand-cranked, use it to roll out the strips of dough. Otherwise, roll each piece of dough out to about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. (see video).
• Place a teaspoon full of the filling on the dough. Keep placing teaspoonfuls of filling across the top portion of the dough, spacing them out about 2 inches apart.
• Brush the edges of the dough and in between the filling with water. Fold the bottom portion of the dough over the filling and press it flat.
• Using a pastry cutter, a cup, or a cookie cutter, cut the pies into half-moons. (see video)
• Place the pies on a baking tray that has been lined with parchment paper and lightly floured.
• Pierce the tops of the pies with a fork.
• Fry the pies for 2-3 minutes on each side over medium-high heat. The oil should be 360-370 °F.
• They’re ready when they’re golden brown all around.
• Transfer the fried pies to a tray that has been lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve immediately

Make and freeze your hand pies

After making all of your hand pies, you can freeze what you’d like to save for later. Place the pies on a sheet tray just far enough away so they aren’t touching and cover with plastic wrap. Put the whole tray into the freezer until the pies are frozen solid. You can leave them in the freezer this way or transfer them into freezer-safe bags. They will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months! Pull them out whenever you’d like to thaw on a plate, then fry as usual.

If you prefer not to fry your hand pies, brush them with olive oil or butter and bake at 400˚F for about 25 minutes. The exterior won’t be as crispy as it comes out after frying, but it will still be crisp and delicious.

Bake the Pies:

Place the pies on a baking tray that has been lined with parchment paper and brush the tops with melted butter or olive oil. Bake them at 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden. You can shape them like Kalitsounia.

Serving…

Hortopitakia makes for a delicious lunch or appetizer. Dip it in Greek Tzatziki sauce, serve alongside a salad or a spread of other finger foods. Try my Mediterranean white bean dip, Greek-style Fried Cheese Balls (Tirokroketes), or Tomato & Feta Phyllo Tart!