Fish has always been an important source of food for the Kefalonian diet. The codfish, rice and herb filling of this pie is enclosed in a delicious homemade filo pastry. It is fairly uncommon to find codfish pie on a taverna menu or in a bakery, but it is definitely worth seeking out!
Ingredients
For the filling:
½ kg of dried and salted codfish – remove the skin and soak in cold water for 12-14 hrs, changing the water 3-4 times
100ml olive oil, preferably local
1 cup finely chopped chives
½ cup finely chopped dill
½ cup finely chopped marjoram
100g. glutinous rice – boiled in approx 300ml water
salt-pepper
For the filo pastry:
600g of all purpose white flour
1 teaspoon of salt
½ tea cup of olive oil
½ tea cup of white wine
3 soup spoons of water
Method for the filling:
1. Drain the codfish and carefully remove all the bones. Separate into flakes.
2. Add the boiled rice to the codfish, olive oil, chive, dill, marjoram, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Method for the filo pastry:
1. Put 400g of the flour into a large bowl, making a hole in the middle. Into the hole add the salt, oil, wine, water and start kneading. If the mixture is too wet add more flour as needed until the dough becomes soft, pliable and no longer sticks to your hands. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes in a cool place.
2. Divide the dough into two and roll out two thick sheets.
Method to assemble the pie:
1. Line a large oblong pie dish with one sheet of the filo pastry (it should cover the bottom and sides of the dish).
2. Spread the filling over the pastry
3. Cover the filling with the second sheet of filo pastry. At the edges turn the excess dough inside to create a rustic looking crust.
4. Score the top of the pie into slices. Place into a pre-heated oven (180 degrees) for around an hour or until the pastry is crisp to the touch and golden in colour.
