Melitinia is a unique dessert from the glorious group of Cycladic cheese sweets in Greece!
We present to you the Recipe from Mrs. Maria Matsantou, from Akrotiri in Santorini, who preserves the memories of flavors with her unique sweets and foods.
Santorini’s “Melitinia” are usually seasoned with mastic, as in Maria’s recipe, while some also add cinnamon and saffron.
Maria Matsantou, restaurant owner at “Faros Santorini Restaurant and Cooking Classes” in Akrotiri, presents this Sweet Recipe to you:
See many other Local Recipes from Santorini by Maria Matsantou, from Akrotiri
Using fresh and premium ingredients, we bring out the best in every Home made recipe!
Cooking Time:
1 hour and 30′ preparation
30′ baking
Total: 2 hours
Ingredients
Pieces: 60 (approximately)
- For the dough
- 1 kg all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. olive oil
- about 400 ml lukewarm water
- For the filling
- 1 kg fresh mizithra, unsalted (soft, white cheese made from goat and sheep’s milk whey)
- 1 kg white sugar, granulated
- 1 egg
- 4 egg yolks
- 20 g baking powder
- 6 vanilla pods
- 1/2 tsp mastic crystals, pounded in a mortar with a little of the sugar
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
Method
Dough
To prepare Santorini Melitinia, mix the flour with the olive oil in a bowl or in the mixer bowl until the oil is absorbed.
Add half the lukewarm water and continue kneading until you have a rough dough.
Continue kneading, adding as much of the remaining lukewarm water as needed, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Filling
In a large bowl, melt the cheese with a food processor or grate it.
Add the sugar, egg, egg yolks, baking powder, vanilla, flour and mastic.
Mix very well until you have a completely homogeneous and soft mixture.
Melitinia
Divide the dough into 4-5 pieces.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece with a rolling pin into a very thin sheet, no more than 2-3 millimeters thick.
Alternatively, roll it out in a pasta machine, selecting the thinnest setting.
Using a round cutter-Cooking hoop (or the rim of a glass) with a diameter of 10 cm, cut out discs.
Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center and lift the sheet around it.
Pinch the edges with your fingers at several dense, evenly spaced intervals to create a “basket”.
Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough.
Roll out the leftovers from the cuts into an equally thin sheet and cut out more discs.
You will get about 60 pieces in total.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line 1-2 large baking sheets with baking paper and spread the melitinia on them.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the filling is lightly browned and the pastry is golden brown.
SUGAR, CHEESE, Santorini SWEET PIES, DESSERT
See the Recipe in Greek
Source: Γαστρονόμος
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