Meat Pie from Crete
Tourta
Region: Greece, Crete
Category: Lamb
Season: Any
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

The name of this meat pie from Crete derives from the Italian word torta, a pie or tart. The Cretan version is made in a pie pan called a tapsi. Undoubtedly this savory pie has some relationship to the centuries long rule of the Venetians, but the spicing of cumin and sesame seeds points to the Turks and Arabs. Although it's true that these spices are used more often in the Turkish-influenced Dodecanese group of islands east of Crete, their use here might be modern because it was in the 1920s that a population exchange occurred transferring Greek Christians from Anatolia to Crete and Cretan Muslims to Anatolia. In any case, this recipe for meat pie typical of Crete and adapted from one I had at the Taverna Despoina Polake in Khaniá. It looks as if there is a lot of meat, but remember that more than a third of the weight is the bone.

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 1:50 hours

3 pounds leg of lamb, on the bone, trimmed of all fat     1 cup water       Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste     4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted     1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small bits     1/2 cup milk (optional)

1 1/4 pounds mezithra or ricotta salata cheese     1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed, to your taste     1/2 cup heavy cream     1 large egg, beaten     1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. Place the leg of lamb, water, salt and pepper in a pot or casserole that will fit the leg of lamb snugly. Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, cover, and simmer until the lamb is partially cooked, about 30 minutes. Remove the lamb from the saucepan and, when cool enough to handle, cut the meat from the bone into bite-size pieces. Remove and discard any remaining gristly pieces of fat. Save 1/ 2 cup of the broth if not using the milk.

2. Pour the flour and 2 teaspoons salt into a large bowl and work the butter into it with a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Moisten the mixture with the reserved lamb broth or milk to form a stiff dough and roll into a ball. Knead the dough for 3 minutes, flouring the working surface if necessary to prevent sticking. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll out one piece to a circle about 1/4-inch thick and large enough to cover the bottom and side walls of a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Break up the cheese in a small bowl and, using your fingers, toss with the cubed lamb. Transfer to the pie pan and spread around the bottom, forming a small mound in the center. Sprinkle with the cumin and pour the cream over the filling. Roll the remaining dough out into another circle and cover the pie pan with it. With a sharp knife or scissors trim off the overlapping dough. Crimp the edges closed with the tines of a fork.

4. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg and score in several places to vent the steam. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and bake until the pie is golden, about 50 minutes Serve immediately.

Posted: 01/10/2007