Kreatopita - Greek Meat Pie with Beef and Bechamel Sauce

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories

Author Victor

Ingredients

For the bechamel sauce:
100 g butter
100 g all-purpose flour
800 g milk at room temperature
50 g Parmesan cheese grated
Salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
For the beef filling:
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions finely chopped
4 carrots roughly sliced
4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
2 lbs beef chuck cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp tomato paste
14 dried prunes pitted (optional)
2 cans 660 ml black beer
2 beef or chicken bouillon cubes
3 bay leaves
For final assembly:
2 puff pastry sheets thawed at room temperature for 40 minutes
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp if milk for brushing

Instructions

To prepare the beef filling, place a large cast iron pot or a Dutch oven over high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Saute the vegetables, frequently stirring, until nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and continue sauteing for another 8-10 minutes, until the meat browns nicely.
Add the tomato paste, prunes (optional), beer, bouillon cubes and bay leaves. Bring to gentle simmer, stir and lower heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Take off the lid and continue simmering for another hour, stirring every 20 minutes, until the meat filling thickens. Remove from heat. Remove the bay leaves. With a fork, press on beef chunks to pull meat fibers apart, and set the filling aside to cool.
To prepare the bechamel sauce, in a medium size pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and saute, frequently stirring with a whisk, until the mixture turns lightly golden brown and acquires nutty flavor.
Start adding the milk, about 1 cup at a time, while continuously whisking so that no lumps form in the roux. Once all milk is incorporated, continue cooking the sauce until it thickens and starts to bubble.
Remove the bechamel sauce from heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, egg yolks and nutmeg. Whisk until well incorporated. Cover the pot and let cool.
Preheat oven to 400F (see note 1).
Lay the first sheet of puff pastry on a lipped baking sheet (see note 2) lined with parchment paper. Brush the edges of the pastry sheet with the egg yolk wash.
Transfer the bechamel sauce to the center of the puff pastry sheet and spread it, leaving about 1 - 1 1/2 inches from the edge unfilled. Spread the meat filling on top of bechamel sauce, again leaving some space around the edges.
Cover the pie with the second sheet of puff pastry, pressing down on the edges so the pastry can stick together. Left the edges of the pie and crimp all the way around. Brush with egg yolk wash and make slits (see note 3) to allow steam escape during baking.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown.
Remove the kreatopita from oven and allow to cool (see note 4) for about 10 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.

Notes

Note 1 - You can bake with a fan on (convection mode), as Akis suggests in his recipe, at 375F. This won't shorten the cooking time, but will produce a much darker, slightly dryer crust. For this recipe I prefer using the regular baking mode.

Note 2 - I use a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet. It's a little narrower than the pastry sheet but that helps keeping the filling from spreading on the sides during assembly. A larger baking sheet will work just fine as well.

Note 3 - I make short slits in the places where I will be cutting the pie after it's baked, as shown on the picture.

Note 4 - If you cut the pie immediately the filling will spread and the slices won't be looking as nice. You need to let it set before cutting. Bechamel sauce will also be very hot without cooling down a little.