In this pita recipe, the cabbage is tender cooked with celery root and carrot and then combined with feta and kasseri cheese as a delicious filling for a pan-sized pie.
Serve this Lahanopita on its own for a light meal or on the side as a savory side dish.
Lahanopita – A Savory Pita Stuffed with Cabbage, Celery and Carrot
Prep Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
- For the pita dough:
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1 envelope dry yeast (1/4 oz.)
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. ouzo
- 3 tbsp. milk
- 1 beaten egg (for brushing)
- For the filling:
- 1 small cabbage, shredded thinly (about 5 cups)
- 1 medium leek, (white part only) finely chopped
- 1 small celery root, coarsely shredded (about 1 cup)
- 2 large carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 lb. kasseri cheese, shredded
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Note: I use a round pan, roughly 12 inches in diameter for this pita. You can make the pita in a round or rectangular shape. A 13 x 9 rectangular pan will also work well for this recipe.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour to the mixing bowl. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the olive oil, egg, ouzo and milk.
Slowly add the dissolved yeast/water to the mixture. Continue mixing until the dough has pulled together from the sides and the mixture is elastic but not sticky.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly with your hands. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased and covered bowl for rising. Let rise about an hour or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine the shredded cabbage, celery root, and carrot in a large pot and add the 1/2 cup water. Season the mixture generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook over medium low heat for approximately 20 minutes or until the vegetables are nicely tender but not mushy.
Remove the vegetables from the heat, place them in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out all the excess water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the feta, kasseri and the eggs. Fold in the drained vegetables and mix well.
Punch the dough down on a lightly floured surface. Separate the dough into two rounds – one round should be 2/3 and the other the equivalent of 1/3 of the total dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease your pan.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to the shape of the pan. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan. Add the filling in an even layer.
Roll out the second piece of dough and place on top of the filling. Crimp the edges of the pastry dough together with your fingers to form a seal.
Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until the dough is nicely golden. Cool slightly, slice and serve.
