Macaroni pie is a traditional Greek pie directly connected with the culinary customs of the Triodion. Macaroni pie is eaten during the third week of the Triodion, Tyrofagou—also known as the cheesefare week—which prepares us for Great Lent.
Traditionally, during the last week before Lent, that is from Monday after Meatfare Sunday until Cheesefare Sunday, we eat everything except meat, with greater emphasis on dishes made with dairy products and pasta. For this reason, this week is also called the cheese week or pasta week.
On Cheesefare Sunday, the Triodion comes to an end, during which people prepare for the fast of Great Lent. In fact, during cheesefare week, the “white fast” gently prepares us for abstaining from rich foods, as required by the strict fast leading up to Easter.
Throughout Greece, during cheesefare week, cheese pies, macaroni pies, omelets, cheese breads, pies with trahana, pasta with cheese and butter, milk pies, and galaktoboureko all take center stage.
The traditional macaroni pie recipes we find throughout Greece are mainly based on pasta, feta, eggs, and phyllo dough—ingredients that every household, poor or not, had available.
Sometimes olive oil is used in the filling instead of butter, depending on the place the recipe comes from. Also, while some recipes use only feta in the mixture, there are also many that include kefalograviera, kasseri, or metsovone.
More rarely, we find the version of macaroni pie without phyllo. In these cases, more eggs are used in the filling as a strong binding ingredient.
In some regions of Greece, thick pastitsio pasta is used for macaroni pie, while in others they use short cut pasta, which they even break up in a food processor so the pie becomes more compact.
A distinctive and unusual version by Greek culinary standards is the macaroni pie from Cappadocia, where sausage is added to the filling.
However you like to make macaroni pie, it is an easy, tasty, and filling pie that, like all Greek pies, can be eaten either as a side dish or as a main dish.
Ingredients for Macaroni Pie
- 1 package thick pasta for pastitsio (500 g)
- 1 package traditional phyllo dough (6 sheets)
- 400 g feta
- 180 g grated kasseri or kefalograviera
- 250 g strained yogurt or cream cheese (I used cream cheese)
- 250 ml fresh whole milk
- 3 large eggs (or 4 medium)
- 1 cup melted sheep/goat butter or cow’s butter (I used a mix of sheep/goat butter and olive oil)
- plenty of pepper
- 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs or fine semolina (optional, for the base of the pan)
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Instructions
In a large pot, boil the pasta until al dente, so it still has some bite.
Drain it, add a little olive oil and pepper, and place it in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, crack the eggs, add the milk and pepper. Whisk briefly, then add the yogurt or cream cheese. Whisk well until you have a cream.
Pour the cream into the bowl with the pasta and mix well until the cream coats the pasta. If you see that the cream is fairly runny, do not worry—the extra liquid will “set” once the cheeses are added.
Add the grated cheeses gradually, mixing in between. You will now notice that the pasta is “swimming” in a thick cream.
Butter a baking pan well; if you like, you can sprinkle it with a little fine semolina or cornmeal. This helps create a nice crispy crust on the bottom sheet.
Lay out the four bottom sheets, brushing them well with butter in between.
Pour the pasta into the pan and spread it out as evenly as possible. If any cream is left over from the pasta, spread that over the top as well.
Fold in the parts of the phyllo sheets that hang over the pan after buttering them well. Cover the top of the pan with the two sheets you reserved. Butter well.
Score the pie with a sharp knife, sprinkle lightly with a little water, and bake at 180°C with top and bottom heat for about 40–45 minutes.
Macaroni pie is enjoyable both warm and cold.
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