Sweet Squash Pies

 Glykia kolokythopita or sweet squash pie is an autumn and winter sweet which is not too sweet and is healthy too.  I reckon you could leave out the oil and halve the sugar without making much of a difference.  

Grating a kilo of squash is a tiresome affair but it gets done if you've got your mind on the finished 'pie'.

You can use a short pastry or even a puff pastry.  I used filo (phyllo) and my layers were too thin.  It needs a thicker pastry which is why I am making a second tray a few days later using handmade pastry.  I shall not mention that the first dish of these pies has already disappeared.

Grate yer squash

Plonk it nicely on the pastry

Roll em up and bake em

Filling -

-1 kilo of grated yellow squash or pumpkin

-1 small teacup of oil

(I used olive oil and the teacup was a greek coffee cup, probably about half the english teacup)

-3 tbsps of semolina (you could also use fine breadcrumbs or rice.  This is to absorb any moisture from the squash)

-1 small cup of sugar

-1 tbsp cinnamon

-1tsp cloves

-1tsp nutmeg 

- sm cup of raisins

-sm cup of chopped walnuts

Grate the squash and mix in all the other ingrdients. dont let it stand around too long or the squash will let out its juices and it may be too sloppy. So they say. Mine sat on the bench for a couple of hours and was fine

Roll out squares of pastry, fill as in the photo above, roll and place in a baking dish.  Brush the rolls with oil and bake for around 30 minutes till golden brown.  

Make sure your rolls are closed tightly at each end.  If the filling oozes out you'll have a sticky syrup to deal with which makes the baking dish hard to clean

Pastry used for my second try -

-1 water glass of...water

-1 small cup of oil

-3 tbsps of vinegar

-1 tsp salt

-400 - 450 grams of flour

-1 tsp baking powder

Mix together till you have a nice elastic dough.  Add the flour slowly till you have enough.    Leave it to rest for 20 minutes and then roll out into oblongs which fit your baking dish

Rolling up so the stuffing doesn't ooze out

All rolled

After an aesthetically pleasing dust of icing sugar it's all 'go' for eating