Pepper Mushroom Pie

Angistri (or Agistri) Island is dwarfed by its fellow Saronic Islands, yet it's possible to visit bustling Athens and return there the same day by high-speed ferry. Here we found a romantic hideaway, Rosy's Little Village, built in the traditional Greek style - and where would romance be without romantic dinners? Make this pie for the one you love. He or she is guaranteed to know how you feel.

 

GREEK NOTE: Angistri is Greek for "hook". Why, when the island is shaped like a lopsided pear? The story goes that anyone who visits this green island is immediately "hooked".

INGREDIENTS OF INTEREST: Soy sauce? Yes, the Greeks have incorporated this salty additive from Asia. You may not think it sounds Greek now, but remember, a few hundred years ago nobody in Greece had even heard of an eggplant.

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus oil for sauteing
several sheets of phyllo (the thickness is left up to you)
½ cup dried bread crumbs (see below)
⅓ cup chopped onions
⅔ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground cumin
⅔ cup finely chopped mushrooms
¼ cup grated Gouda cheese
⅔ cup cream

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a baking dish with oil and place the phyllo on the bottom. Sprinkle some bread crumps on top of the phyllo. In a skillet, sauté the onions and peppers with a little oil until soft. Add the soy sauce, cumin and mushrooms and sauté for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let the filling cool down. When cool, pour the filling on top of the phyllo in the baking dish. Sprinkle the Gouda cheese over the pepper mixture until it is covered with cheese. Pour the cream over the entire mixture.

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

EXPERIMENT LIKE A GREEK: What kind of bread are you using to make your bread crumbs? Yes, like my yiayia's you should consider making your own from stale bread. That gives you a ton of control over how this pie will taste

By Dean and Catherine Karayanis