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Badjina, the Greek Naked Pie

Badjina, the Greek Naked Pie

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Badjina is a Greek regional pie made mainly in the region of Thessaly, which consists of a batter made with milk, olive oil, eggs, goat cheese and corn meal, in which pumpkin is mixed in.
In Greek they call this pie ξεβράκωτη (ksevrakoti) meaning without its underwear, as it is a pie without its knickers, the phyllo.

It is the most easy of all Greek pies and no skills are required to make it plus it tastes terrific. The most difficult part of the whole procedure is to grate the pumpkin but I use the food processor and have this done in five minutes.

I had heard of this pie before but never tried it until last February when I participated in a cooking contest. One of the judges and chefs, Giannis Baxevanis made this pie but I was so nervous that I don’t remember anything about the recipe.

Since then I’ve been wanting to make this pie but never got around to it. Last Tuesday when I went to the farmers market I bought some butternut squash to make it for my entry for Savory Pies.

I searched the internet for a recipe and found only a few. I ended up with this one as like most of the Greek recipes it was a bit vague as to the ingredients and instructions.

My Greek friends who may read the recipe in Greek will see that I have made a few changes. First of all I reduced the quantity of the olive oil used, from 2 cups to 1 1/2 cups, I added eggs, I used two kinds of cheese (feta and goat cheese, instead of only feta) and I used two kinds of flour (instead of 1 kilo self raising flour, I added half the quantity of flour and half corn meal).

A simple recipe with no herbs or spices just to highlight the taste of the pumpkin and the cheese. I was tempted to add some spices but good thing I didn’t as the result was excellent.

I know that a lot of feta is involved, which is quite expensive. However, if where you live you can buy barrel feta ask to buy the leftover crumbles. It’s way much cheaper and that’s what we usually do in Greece for all our pies. If you find it too expensive to make add half the quantity of feta and another type of cheese, maybe ricotta if it is cheaper.

This is my first entry for my event Savory Pies and hope that by the deadline, which is the end of September I shall introduce you to a few more Greek pies.

How to make Badjina

The mixture was too much for my tin, so I made a small one in a Pyrex which I covered with cling film and placed in the freezer for next week.


Peel the pumpkin or butternut squash and with a spoon remove the seeds and strings.

butternut squash image

Grate the pumpkin and mix all the ingredients reserving one cup of cheese and the butter.

grated pumpkin image

You should have a thick batter. 

Grease the baking tin with olive oil and spread the batter, which should not be higher than 2 cm in the tin.

Add the crumbled cheese on top as well as little pieces of butter.

badjina pie ready for baking image

Preheat the oven to 180o C and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven, until golden brown.

Set aside for 15 minutes to slightly cool and then cut into pieces.

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Badjina pie baked image

 Note:

The above quantity is enough for two baking tins. The second one I used was 32 x 22 cm.

I made this big batch to feed a large crowd. You can downscale the amount to make less.

If you prefer to bake both, you can store leftovers in the fridge up to a week. You can also wrap it in cling film and freeze it.

Alternatively, cover the second baking tin with cling film and store in the fridge for 2 – 3 days before baking or store it in the deep freezer, up to 3 months. Thaw before baking.

Badjina Pie image

Badjina, the Greek Naked Pie

Yield: 26
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Badjina is a Greek regional pie made mainly in the region of Thessaly, which consists of a batter made with milk, olive oil, eggs, goat cheese and corn meal, in which pumpkin is mixed in.

Ingredients

  • 1,200 grams pumpkin or butternut squash or courgettes (after been peeled and seeds removed)
  • 250 grams all-purpose flour
  • 750 grams corn meal
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 700 grams milk
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 350 grams goat cheese
  • 150 grams feta
  • 70 grams butter
  • Freshly grated black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, to brush the baking tin

Instructions

  1. Peel the pumpkin or butternut squash and with a spoon remove the seeds and strings.
  2. Grate the pumpkin on a box grater with large holes.
  3. Put the two types of flour, the milk, the olive oil, the eggs, salt and pepper and mix well  You should have a thick batter 
  4. Add the crumbled cheese reserving one cup as well as the grated pumpkin and mix to combine.
  5. Grease a large baking tin (35 x 45 cm) with olive oil and spread the batter  (It should not be higher than 2 cms).
  6. Scatter the reserved crumbled cheese on top as well as little pieces of butter.
  7. Preheat the oven to 180oC and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven, until golden brown.
  8. Set aside for 15 minutes to slightly cool and then cut into pieces.

Notes

The above quantity is enough for two baking tins. The second one I used was 32 x 22 cm.

I made this big batch to feed a large crowd. You can downscale the amount to make less.

If you prefer to bake both, you can store leftovers in the fridge up to a week. You can also wrap it in cling film and freeze it.

Alternatively, cover the baking tin with cling film and store the second one in the fridge for 2 - 3 days before baking or store it in the deep freezer, up to 3 months. Thaw before baking.

Nutrition Information
Yield 26 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 330Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 48mgSodium 435mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 9g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Badjina Pie image

Greek Pies (Pites)

Greek pies (pita plural pites) are a staple in Greek cuisine. They are very versatile and can be either savoury or sweet. You can make a "pita" with vegetables, meat, fruit, etc.

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

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Sam Sotiropoulos

Monday 15th of September 2008

It's almost pumpkin season here in Canada, so i think we'll be making a xevrakoti or two this autumn. I have an aunt from Thessalia and she makes this pie, though her version is very heavy, yours looks much lighter. I guess because you cut the oil and used a mixture of cheeses. Thanks for sharing!

courtney

Saturday 13th of September 2008

Im loving this baked cheese and pumpkin combo.

Jeena

Saturday 13th of September 2008

Fantastic I love it! :-)

Ivy

Friday 12th of September 2008

Sripriya, thank you.

Corinne, feta is wonderful in pies.

Vani, next pie will be dressed :-P

Candy, welcome and it's nice to see you here. Thanks a lot.

Candy

Friday 12th of September 2008

This looks very tasty! I love using pumpkins in anything!

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