Cretan cuisine inspired shallow-fried fennel handpies with homemade pastry, served with fluffy tarama mousse

Fennel is a really favourite vegetable of mine and especially the green fronds, I use them very often in various recipes like pies for example. I love the distinctive aroma and taste of it and I think it only compliments the various cheese and vegetable pies we do in Greece. Since I first tasted feta cheese pies years ago with finely snipped fennel fronds in the filling I really loved this herb and I don't neglect to add it into my pies. Today's recipe is inspired by the Cretan cuisine and I don't really need to say much because this island has offered us great culinary miracles through the years! The version of these fried pies is a vegetarian one but if you'd like you could add cheese like Feta or Manouri or fresh Cretan Myzithra crumbled. The recipe can be served as an appetizer along with this different but really tasty mousse but the pies can be served alone as a snack, appetizer or packed for a picnic. Don't reject the idea of preparing your own pastry for these pies because thanks to the Tsikoudia (Cretan raki) the phyllo gets a special taste. The recipe can be easily adjusted to treat more persons

Cooked by Nicki Mytarea,

"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 2-3 people)

For the filling:
250-300 gr. of fennel bulbs, finely chopped
the fennel fronds, finely snipped

1 Spring onion, finely chopped
½ a glass of lukewarm water

3 tbsp of olive oil
salt
pepper

For the pastry:

250 gr. of all-purpose flour

3 tbsp of olive oil

½ a glass of lukewarm water

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tbsp of Tsikoudia (raki)

½ tsp of salt

For the tarama mousse:
40 gr. of white tarama (salted and cured fish roe)

1 ½ lemon, the juice

5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 wheat rusks, wet
white pepper

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cooking oil

Method:

Put the pastry ingredients in a large bowl and knead with your hands until you have a homogeneous dough. Leave the dough aside for 20 minutes to rest.

In the meantime, prepare the mousse. Beat in the bowl of a standing mixer the tarama along with the lemon juice in medium speed. Slowly add in the bowl the oil and the wet rusks alternately and in the end, season with pepper. *** To have a really light and fluffy mousse we should not beat the tarama for too long. Transfer the mousse in a serving bowl and leave aside.

Warm the oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and sauté the fennel bulb, the fennel fronds and the Spring onion for 5 minutes stirring with a wooden spatula.

Add ½ glass of lukewarm water, season with salt and pepper and cook the vegetables for about 30 minutes. Transfer into a colander to drain and keep aside on a plate to cool.

Equally divide the dough into balls the size of large walnut. Roll out in your palm each dough ball, get a levelled tablespoon of the fennel mixture and place on the centre. Fold the dough to create half moon pies and sealing around the filling, put the pie on the kitchen counter and gently press with your palm.

Brush with plenty of oil a heavy-bottomed frying pan and warm on medium-high heat. When well heated put the pies, a few at a time, in the pan and fry for 2 minutes on each side.

Transfer on a serving platter and serve immediately along with the tarama mousse.