Traditional pork and leeks pie with home made pastry

This is a delicious meat pie inspired by traditional recipes from Northern Greece. The combination of pork, leeks and the, full of aroma, spices is a classic!! It is a fully Winter-time recipe so take advantage of the season and don't try it out after February or March because it will not feel the same. It's a "heavy" recipe for really cold weather and demands a rich red wine to enjoy it! A great idea is to knead the dough with red wine instead of water, something I suggest in the ingredients below. Believe me, the taste of the pastry is amazing with the wine, something you have not tasted before! If the pork is not your favourite meat you can substitute with beef as long as it comes from some tender part of the animal. Pies usually are served in Greece as a first dish or a snack or as a side dish. This pie though is a full main meal itself and you can serve it along with a mixed cabbage and carrot salad and a good quality feta cheese

Adapted from a recipe of Vassilis Kallides,
a prominent Head Cook and food author
from "Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 6-8 people)

For the meat:
800gr. of pork (from the neck or shoulder), cut in very small cubes
4 leeks cut in medium rounds
1 large yellow onion, grated (my addition)
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 glass of red dry wine (my preference, the original says 1/2 a glass)
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 pinch of ground allspice
2 whole cloves (my addition)
1 bay leaf (my addition)
1 large orange, the zest
salt
pepper

For the pastry:
400gr. strong flour
1 pot of Greek yoghurt (175-200gr.)
½ tea-cup of lukewarm water (or red wine as mentioned in the introduction)
1 egg
1 sachet of dried yeast (not instant)
4 tbsp of olive oil
2 level tsp of salt

Method:
Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a large bowl and gradually add the water (or the wine if used). Once a dough is formed after kneading well with your hands, leave aside to rest and double in size covered with cling film or a kitchen towel.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Warm the oil in a wide pot on medium-high heat and sauté the meat until it is well coloured on all sides. Add the onion and sauté for 1 more minute. Pour over with the wine and, when the alcohol is evaporated, add the leeks, the orange zest, the spices, the bay leaf, the salt, the pepper and 1 glass of warm water. Cover with the lid, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the liquids are absorbed and the meat is left only with its sauce. Take off the heat, discard the bay leaf and leave aside to cool.

Divide the dough into two parts and roll with a rolling pin into two thick phyllo sheets, the one a bit larger than the other. Brush the bottom and the sides of a medium size round baking pan with some oil. Lay the larger phyllo sheet on the bottom making sure it also covers the sides of the pan.

Evenly spread the meat filling on the phyllo and cover with the second sheet. Join the two sheets together turning the edges all around inwards.

Spray the top phyllo sheet with a bit of water and gently score the surface into pieces with a pointy knife.

Put in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until the filling is cooked and the phyllo is nicely coloured and crunchy.

Take out of the oven, leave the pie to rest for 5 minutes and then cut through the pieces and serve immediately.