SAVOURY PIES WEEK 1: Traditional Cretan snail and potatoes pie with herbs - Don't feel intimidated by it!

I'm certain that some of you will turn your heads on the other side or scroll down immediately only by the sight of the title of this recipe but before you do just bare with me because there are always alternatives... I must admit that only 4-5 times so far in my life I have tried snails (cooked only in the Greek classic way and only twice have tried this kind of pie and not once I have cooked them myself) and I must, also, admit that snails are not exactly my idea of "meat".... but, at least regarding this pie, things are not or taste so bad as you would think because, honestly, if you don't know in advance what there is inside the filling it is rather difficult to feel the difference... Not so much because you could not distinguish the "proper" meat from a snail but because by the time you will realise you have already tried it and thanks to the rest of the ingredients the taste is soooo good and you forget all about the snails... well, almost, because then you start thinking about them... Anyway, as I say on the top, there are alternatives and if snails put you off just follow the recipe using the rest of the ingredients and some "proper" meat instead like ground lamb or beef. Those who come from Crete, because this is where this famous pie comes from being a real delicacy in various areas of the island, probably will get mad at me but hey... snails are snails and not all people like the idea of them!

Cooked by Nicki Mytarea,

"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 8 people):
1 thick (homemade or store bought) phyllo sheet or 1 sheet of shortcrust pastry

200 gr. of thick snails (Chohlios in Cretan), cleaned

1 Kg of potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 medium onions, cut into thick rings
½-1 tea-cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 glass of white dry wine

10 leaves of fresh louisa herb (Lemon Verbena)

1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

½ tsp of fresh thyme

6 cloves of garlic

1 wheat rusk, crushed

100 gr. of fennel bulb, finely chopped

1 tea-cup of vegetable stock

3 tbsp of sesame seeds

salt
pepper

Method:

Put the snails and the wine in a bowl and marinate for 15 minutes.

In a wide deep frying pan warm 1 tbsp of the oil in medium heat and sauté the onions and the garlic for about 5 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon. Add in the pan the marinated snails and sauté for another 3 minutes.

Add in the pan all the herbs and the fennel, the crushed rusk and season with salt and pepper. Stir with a spoon, continue cooking for another 2 minutes and then take the pan off the heat.

In another frying pan, warm the rest of the oil in medium heat and fry the potatoes until lightly coloured. Transfer with a slotted spoon on kitchen paper and allow to drain.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Arrange a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a pyrex dish (or oven pan) and spread half of the filling on top. Cover with the rest of the potatoes and then spread the rest of the filling.

Cover the pie with the pastry and seal carefully all around the rim of the dish. Prick the pastry with a toothpick on various places, then pour over with the vegetable stock and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Cover the pie with some aluminium foil and put in the oven. Initially cook for 30 minutes, take the foil off and continue cooking for another 30 minutes until the pastry gets a nice golden colour.

Take the pie out of the oven and allow 15 minutes to settle before serving directly out of the dish.