Carnival Pie with Rustic Phyllo
The Messaritikos Tzoulama is a traditional recipe, beloved during carnival season, from the region of Messara in Crete. It beautifully balances sweet and savory flavors, creating a truly magical result.
The Messaritikos Tzoulama is a traditional recipe, beloved during carnival season, from the region of Messara in Crete. It beautifully balances sweet and savory flavors, creating a truly magical result.
Info
Prep Time:
15mCook Time:
75mDifficulty Level:
Ingredients
- 5 rustic (village-style) phyllo sheets
- 2 pieces boiled chicken breast, very finely chopped
- 2–3 chicken livers, finely chopped
- 2 cups Carolina (medium-grain) rice
- 4 cups water or reserved chicken broth
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup pistachios (preferably Aegina pistachios) or walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup stakovoutyro (Cretan clarified butter) from Anogeia, or half butter and half olive oil
- 2–3 pinches ground cinnamon
- 1–2 pinches ground cloves
- 1–2 pinches ground nutmeg
- ½ cup sugar
- 3–4 cups chicken broth or milk (for soaking before baking)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Boil the chicken first. Reserve the broth, allow the chicken to cool, then finely chop it into very small pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the stakovoutyro in a pan and sauté the finely chopped chicken livers for a few minutes.
Add the rice and stir well so it becomes coated with the butter. Pour in the broth (or water) and cook the rice.
Toward the end of cooking, add the chopped chicken, spices, raisins, and nuts to the rice. Stir in half of the sugar and season with salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let the rice rest for 5–10 minutes to absorb any remaining liquid.
Butter a baking pan and layer 2 buttered rustic phyllo sheets, sprinkling a little sugar between them.
Spread half of the filling over the phyllo. Add 1 more buttered phyllo sheet and spread the remaining filling on top. Cover with the final 2 buttered phyllo sheets.
Tuck the edges inward and score into portions.
Pour the broth or milk over the pie and drizzle with the remaining butter.
Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon (optional).
Bake in a well-preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 1 hour, until the pie is deeply golden.
Recipe Tips
Lightly buttering between each phyllo sheet is essential, as it protects the layers from absorbing too much moisture from the filling and ensures a beautifully crisp, flaky texture.