A Tribute to Laconian Cuisine, part 3
Milk pies are very common in many parts of Greece, but they originate from the greek Vlach communities (famous for their shepherding skills), residing once in the mountains of central Greece. A milk pie, called a ga-la-tò-pi-ta in Greek, even though very similar to is not to be mistaken with the famous greek Galaktoboureko or the Bougatsa whose recipes call for two different, specific, and unique kinds of phyllo pastry. You can find the recipe for a rustic phyllo-pastry milk pie in this older post on the blog. The Laconian Galatopita, which we’re looking into today, is traditionally made without phyllo.

Galatopitas are served all year round but are particularly popular during the last week of carnival in Greece. (Can you tell I’m posting this super late for this year’s festivities? Oh, well.) According to tradition, the Greek carnival’s final week (Tirini meaning “of cheese”) is a dairy-consumption week. In the old days, you were allowed to eat dishes based on animal products (cheese, butter, milk, and eggs), but you had to abstain from meat. The reasoning behind this practice was to prepare one’s body before Lent (the 40-day fasting period before Easter). Shepherds happily sold out their fresh dairy and, all week long, the women at home made all kinds of custard, cheese, and pasta pies, yogurt, artisanal cheeses, and butter. At the end of the week, on Cheese Sunday (Kiriaki Tirofagou), an abundance of cheesy, creamy dishes were served, followed by the celebrations of Clean Monday, one’s last chance to consume fish and seafood before Lent. In Mani, galatopitas are also typically served as an Easter dessert.


Galatopita
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 vanilla bean
- 8 cups dairy milk (2000 ml)
- ½ cup butter (125 g or 1 standard US stick) at room temperature
- 2 cups raw sugar (500 g)
- 2 cups fine semolina flour (500 g)
- powdered/icing sugar
- ground Ceylon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl, beat all six eggs well and set them aside.
- Preheat the oven at 350 °F/180 °C.
- Scrape the vanilla pod (see method below). Add both the seeds and the pod to the milk and warm it up in a large pot over medium heat.
- When the milk is warm enough, take out the vanilla pod, add the butter (cut into pieces), sugar, and semolina flour. Use a large whisk to stir the mixture non-stop but gently while waiting for the pudding to thicken. (If you don’t, it will become lumpy and stick to the bottom of the pot!)
- As soon as it starts thickening, take the pot off the heat and slowly whisk in the beaten eggs until they are well incorporated.
- Pour the mixture in a deep (at least 2”) non-stick or well-buttered 13” X 18” baking tray.
- Place on the middle rack and bake for an hour at 350 °F/180 °C.
- Take the pie out of the oven and let it cool down completely. (You can also chill it for a couple of hours.)
- Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon, or cocoa powder. Cut up and serve.
Notes
How to scrape out the vanilla seeds:
Working on one half at a time, hold down the tip of the bean against the cutting board. Use the dull side of your paring knife—not the sharp!—and scrape the vanilla seeds from the skin. Move from the tip of the pod while also holding it from there and scrape down the entire length. Use the seeds immediately (scrape as soon as the recipe asks you to add the seeds and mix them right into the rest of the ingredients). Don’t throw away the empty vanilla pod—use it to infuse milk or cream, or stick it in a jar of sugar. *recipe originally developed by Kicking Back the Pebbles for Politismos eMagazine*images by Athina D. Pantazatou for Kicking Back the Pebbles

Γαλατόπιτα
Ingredients
- 6 αυγά
- 1 λοβό βανίλιας
- 2 λίτρα γάλα (2000 ml)
- 125 γραμ. βούτυρο σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου
- 500 γραμ. ζάχαρη
- 500 γραμ. σιμιγδάλι ψιλό
- ζάχαρη άχνη
- κανέλα Κεϋλάνης
Instructions
- Χτυπάτε τα αυγά σε ένα μπολάκι και τα αφήνετε για λίγο.
- Προθερμαίνετε το φούρνο στους 180 °C
- Ξύνετε τη βανίλια (θα βρείτε οδηγίες στις σημειώσεις) και ρίχνετε τα σποράκια και το περίβλημα σε μία μεγάλη κατσαρόλα μαζί με το γάλα. Ζεσταίνετε το γάλα σε μέτρια φωτιά. Προσοχή, δεν πρέπει να κάψει.
- Όταν το γάλα ζεσταθεί, αφαιρείτε τα ξυλαράκια της βανίλιας, και προσθέτετε το βούτυρο (κομμένο σε κομματάκια), τη ζάχαρη και το σιμιγδάλι.
- Με έναν μεγάλο αναδευτήρα ανακατεύετε συνεχώς μέχρι η κρέμα να αρχίσει να πήζει. Χρειάζεται αργό και συνεχές ανακάτεμα αλλιώς μπορεί να κάνει σβόλους και να κολλήσει στον πάτο του σκεύους.
- Μόλις αρχίσει να πήζει, βγάζετε την κατσαρόλα απο τη φωτιά και σιγά σιγά προσθέτετε τα χτυπημένα αυγά στην κρέμα. Αναμειγνύετε καλά.
- Βουτυρώνετε ένα βαθύ ταψί φούρνου (36 x 45 εκ.) και το γεμίζετε με την κρέμα. Ψήνετε στη μεσαία σχάρα, στους στους 180 °C για μία ώρα περίπου.
- Βγάζετε την πίτα από τον φούρνο και την αφήνετε να κρυώσει καλά. Πασπαλίζετε με ζάχαρη άχνη και κανέλα. Σερβίρεται και κρύα απ' το ψυγείο!
Notes

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