Ioula's sweet velvety pumpkin pie

This pumpkin pie is my grandmother's recipe. It has some unusual ingredients, which you might have a hard time finding if you are not Greek. Nevertheless I will give you some alternatives ;)

What is cool about this pie, is that you can taste the filling before you actually fill the pie and make it as sweet or neutral as you fancy. Pumpkin pies can be tricky as some pumpkins are sweeter than other, so following the recipe blindly won't cut it for this one :P

Ioula's sweet velvety pumpkin pie

ingredients for the filling

• 1 small pumpkin
• 1 table spoon of water
• 1 table spoon of risotto rice
• 1 table spoon of trachana (it is made from goat& sheep milk and wheat and used as basis for soups - if you can't find just use some couscous)
• 1 table spoon of Mitzithra (or any white parmezan like dry cheese)
• 1 table spoon of olive oil
• a pinch of salt
• 3 table spoons of sugar
• 1 tea spoon of cinnamon

ingredients for the crust

• 1 small wine glass water
• 4 table spoons olive oil
• 1 table spoon vinegar
• a table spoon salt (not full)
• 3 wine glasses wheat flour

instructions for the filling

1. Peal the pumpkin, cut in cubes and put it in a pot with the water
2. Cook on low temperature for 15 minutes, until the pumpkin becomes soft
3. Take the pumpkin out of the pot, let it cook down and mush with a fork
4. Add the trachana, mizithra, salt, oil, cinnamon and rice
5. Taste it and add the sugar one spoon at a time
6. Keep tasting and adding sugar until you think it is sweet enough

instructions for the filling

1. Put the flour in a bowl
2. Add the salt, water, oil and vinegar
3. Mix the dough with your hands and add more flour if necessary
4. When it becomes thick enough to roll, separate in 4
5. Use a wooden roller to make the dough 3 millimeters thick
6. Use a 20 cm backing pan with a ring
7. Put one layer in the pan and back for 5-10 minutes while you are warming up your oven to 180C.
8. Don't bake through, take out when it starts to change color.
9. Add the filling and the rest of the three dough layers, while adding some olive oil in between the layers.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes in 180C.

The most difficult part is peeling the pumpkin.

A glad of water with 1/4 olive oil and flour will make you dough tasty. This how mizithra (left bottom) and trachanas look like (right bottom).

If you want a smooth filling grind the rice.

Separate the doughy in four and roll it until thin.

Mush the cooked pumpin with a fork.

The bottom layer souls cover the edged of the baking pan.

The filling should be smooth.

Pre-cut your pie and bake it until it the crust turns gold color.

Stays crusty for days!