Portokalopita (Πορτοκαλόπιτα)
Feb 2nd, 2010 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Baking, Dairy, Dessert, English, Featured, Greek, Oranges, Phyllo, Recipes, Sugar, Syrup
From the photo, can you guess what a Portokalopita is?
Portokalopita is an Greek compound word translated into “orange pie”. The first time I ever saw this dish was recently at my friend Maria’s blog, “Kali Orexi”. I have never before heard of this dessert, I have never ever eaten a Portokalopita. I was awestruck by the beauty of the pie, the simplicity of the dish and the ingredients. Shredded phyllo?
Maria was hastily given the recipe from her father-in-law who heard about the dessert from a co-worker. All Maria had was a hastily jotted recipe that originated from third party word-of-mouth. Her fabulous result is a testament to her sharp kitchen intuition.
I took a look around the Greek realm of the WWW and surprisingly I found several references and recipes to Portokalopita. What I’ve come up with is some inspiration from Maria and some aspects of a few other Portokalopitas out there. I’m sure you’ll adore this dessert as much as I do. Have you clicked “bookmark” yet? If not, you will soon.
Lovers of the Greek dessert Galaktoboureko will love a Portokalopita. Those looking for another phyllo recipe will like this, especially if you’re a little timid with phyllo, Portokalopita is the dessert for you to try. The ingredients are basic, skills needed are little and the end result will WOW yourself, family or dinner guests.
The base is a layer of phyllo that’s ruffled. One gathers each sheet of phyllo with your fingers to create an accordion-like look. Six to eight sheets of phyllo are required to cover the base of the pie. This ruffled phyllo base gets baked for 10-12 minutes and its allowed to rest.
The next next step is the filling. You need vegetable oil, Greek yogurt, orange zest, some orange liqueur, vanilla extract, sugar, eggs and raisins and….shredded phyllo sheets! YES! Shredded phyllo sheets. This step might act as therapy for those of you with phyllo woes of yore. You heard me…you get to shred phyllo sheets.
What else? Nothing but the syrup! Pour the filling’s mixture over the phyllo base and bake. You can use a basic recipe that’s used for Baklava or a Galaktoboureko. I added the zest of one orange to continue with the theme of oranges. Greece’s oranges, lemons and other citrus are at their peak…this Portokalopita celebrates Greece’s oranges.
Like all the other Greek desserts that involve syrup and phyllo – one element has to be hot and the other cold. Having said that, you can make the syrup before anything else and allow it to cool. The other option is to make the Portokalopita and then make the syrup. The pie will have been baked and it should be cooled by the time your syrup is ready. Hot syrup over cold pie. Understood?
The final touch to this dessert is topping the Portokalopita with some orange spoon sweet. Greeks have been preserved fruit and vegetables for ages and of of the more popular spoon sweets are made of orange peel. You can find orange spoon sweet at a Greek market or patisserie. If you still can’t find orange spoon sweet, adding some good orange marmalade (with orange rind present) into the syrup.
The only thing I have left to do is describe how this tasted and it’s texture. The Portokalopita is firm yet moist and soft enough to only use a fork or a spoon…no knife required. Cut a piece with your fork and slide it in your mouth. The first thing you’ll taste and feel is the sweet, slightly caramelized phyllo with the hint of cinnamon. Then there’s the creamy filling, with random pieces of phyllo switching-up the texture. Finally, the syrup and slight crunch of the orange spoon sweet. I never thought an orange dessert could taste so good!
Portokalopita (ΠοÏτοκαλόπιτα)
1 stick of melted unsalted butter
1 oven safe baking vessel (10 X 12X2)
For the Base
1 450gr. pkge. of phyllo (thawed overnight in the fridge and then take out 15 mins. before use)
sugar
cinnamon
Filling
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
zest of two oranges
1 tsp. vanilla extract
splash of orange liqueur
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of raisins
Syrup
2 oranges
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of water
Pre-heated 350F
- Thinly slices your oranges. Place a large pot of water on your stove-top and bring to a boil. Place the orange slices in the post and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes and then drain. Repeat this step two more times (this removes the bitterness from the white pith). Reserve your orange slices.
- Place water and sugar in a wide pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add orange slices and simmer, turning oranges occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes or until oranges are soft and beginning to look translucent. Transfer slices to a rack to cool, reserving syrup. If syrup is not thick enough then boil down until it thickens as it is the glaze for the oranges.
- Pre-heat your oven and gather all your ingredients (mise en place). Take out your thawed phyllo from the fridge and allow 15 minutes for it to come to room temperature. In the meantime, melt your stick of butter in a small pot and set aside.
- Using a brush, grease your baking vessel with the melted butter. Brush a sheet of phyllo and sprinkle some sugar and ground cinnamon lightly and evenly. Now using your fingers, pinch the phyllo to create a fold and continue to pinch and fold until you have created a ruffled (accordion) affect with the sheet of phyllo. Lay the ruffled phyllo lengthwise into the baking vessel. Repeat with about six or seven more sheets of phyllo or until the base is covered with your rows of ruffled phyllo. Reserve the remaining phyllo sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes in your pre-heated oven. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.
- In the meantime, add the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until incorporated. Now add your vanilla extract, orange zest, orange liqueur and whisk again. Now add the salt, baking powder, yogurt, vegetable oil and whisk until incorporated. Mix in the raisins. Now using your hands, tear the remaining sheets of phyllo and add into the bowl. Mix well with a spatula and then pour over your baked ruffled phyllo base.
- Place in your pre-heated oven (middle rack) for 35-40 minutes or until light-gold on top.
- Pour your cold syrup over the hot Portokalopita one ladle at a time. Allow the pie to fully cool before cutting and serving. Arrange cooled candied oranges on the Portokalopita before serving.
NOTE: For a variation: try this recipe with lemons in place of oranges.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
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© 2010, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
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I just finished a healthy dinner and I really want a piece of this!
I am speechless Peter.
After seeing Maria’s recipe, I noticed that there is a version of this in “Vefa’s Kitchen”. Never heard of it before that, either, but sounds fool-proof enough that I could handle it ;) Plus, you know, orange-flavoured anything is good. A blood-orange version of this would be cool…
Sounds delicious! I will also look for it in my copy of Vefa’s Kitchen. Thank you for the wonderful post. Your photos make me very hungry.
That looks fantastic! What a scrumptious dessert! I love the base…
Cheers,
Rosa
Peter αυτή ακÏιβώς τη συνταγή Îψαχνα!!
ΚαλημÎÏα!!!
ΠήτεÏ, απλά Ï… Ï€ Î Ï Î¿ χ η !!!! φανταζομαι το αÏωμά της και την γεÏση της και μου Ï„ÏÎχουν τα σάλια !!!!
φιλια πολλά και καλό μήνα !!!
This is stunning Peter! A fantastic job you’ve done (as always)
:)
Και εγώ δεν είχα ξαναφτιάξει ποτΠκαι μόλις την Îφτιαξα ξετÏελάθηκα! Λίγο μου χάλασε το φÏλλο από πάνω γιατί δεν πεÏίμενα να κÏυώσει το σιÏόπι! Αχ, τι μου τη θÏμισες!
Peter, I’ve never seen a dessert like this — so beautiful — and it’s definitely something for a phyllo-phobe like me! Yes, I’m bookmarking.
That sounds (and looks) extraordinarily good… Never come across it before, and wishing I had! Still, now I have the recipe… Thanks for sharing it, Peter!
Definitely bookmarked this! My kind of phyllo recipe!
Wow, we’re huge galaktobureko lovers in my fam! While I’m not huge on orange in dessert, my dad loves it! I will def try this for him
so…what’s the greek word for moist? because that’s what your cake is screaming at me. i’m sure it’s like taking a bite of the sun, just bursting with refreshment. lovely.
διαφοÏετικός ο Ï„Ïόπος παÏασκευής του συγκεκÏιμÎνου Î³Î»Ï…ÎºÎ¿Ï Î±Ï€ÏŒ τους Ï„Ïόπους που Ï€Ïοσωπικά γνωÏίζω και δεν Îχει και Ï€Î¿Î»Ï Î¶Î¬Ï‡Î±Ïη… είναι ότι Ï€ÏÎπει…
This is mind-boggling! It looks like just an orange cake, well, like a luscious, splendidly orange cake – but the way it works with the phyllo and syrup and all is wonderful! I love it!
This is so new to me. How i wish i had that slice . Just by reading the ingridients i am drooling and it is so so full of flavour. I am sure bookmarking this one.
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kalofagas: http://bit.ly/dstZ5T good evening everyone – the Portokalopita (orange pie) recipe is now up…enjoy!…
I’ve been so intrigued by this since you mentioned it on Twitter. It sounds so yummy & a bit of brightness for winter
Oh my god.
Yes please!!
Εχω δοκιμάσει ποÏτοκαλόπιτα, είναι Ï„Îλεια!!
Thanks για την συνταγή Peter:))
I love the photo of the ruffled base. Are you telling me that I actually get to shred phyllo? Let me tell you – that would be so cathartic after many frustrating phyllo experiences.
Nicely done! With my stress level lately maybe shredding some ingredients will be safer than beating the crap out of chicken breasts with a skillet.
I can’t believe how moist this gorgeous dessert looks. I would happily help you finish this off….
I’m trying to imagine the phyllo under and also inside the cake. Looks like a really special treat and moist too. It’s not likely that I’d make it since I don’t do desserts but I sure hope I get an opportunity to taste it one day. :)
Oh my – this looks amazing! I love the idea of shredding phyllo sheets!
First I thought, hey, that’s how Phoebe (my Egyptian friend) does her baklava! She crumples the phyllo like an old piece of kleenex! hmm, no it is more complex than that I see! It sounds really decadent. Forget dinner, I’ll have that instead!
This would be very therapeutic to make, given the love/hate relationship between filo and I, and the fact that it insists on shredding itself even if I don’t want it to. It looks delicious too.
This orange cake looks delicious. I plan to make one soon.
Thanks for the mention Peter! I’m thrilled to have sparked your interest in this tasty dessert. Your version sounds amazing.
As Tanna might say, I’m gobsmacked. The crumpled phyllo base looks so intriguing, and oranges!, or possibly Meyer lemons? Even though I’m gluten free these days, I would make this for company. Then maybe steal a tiny bite. ;)
Peter, this is such a different dessert; and I love the part where the ”therapy” is involved ;-) Beautiful!
When I saw this on MAria’s blog I too was intrigued…I love how you’ve taken all the different elements and truly made it your own Peter! Superb and sensational definitely come to mind here!
There is a bakery in Thission which makes the nicest Portokalopita I have ever tried, but this recipe of yours has caught my attention and I might give it a try soon! Looks really easy too.
I saw kali orexi’s recipe too and have promised to make it. Bravo for your version. I am seeing some portkalopita in Athens now but it doesn’t have phyllo – it’s more like kardopita.
Îομίζω θα είναι το αμÎσως επόμενο γλυκό που θα φτιάξω!
Φαντάζομαι τη γεÏση και το άÏωμα!
ΕυχαÏιστώ Peter…
How unique! I bet it tasted so bright and fresh. By the way, I don’t think I said how much I like your new layout, looks very much like a magazine.
LL
This is one unique, gorgeous lookign dessert. I love oranges and I can jsut imagine how wonderful this must have been.
I love it when you post desserts Mr Minaki…nom nom nom. Portokalopita … what a charming name it has. All the orange & flavours in there are gorgeous. Love it Petah!!
I made this orange cake –
very soft, flavours, delicious …
Thanks for this recipe – it is wonderful!
Such an interesting recipe! I’m pretty sure I’ve had something similar, the description and picture look so familiar to me. Well, maybe a past life!
Can’t wait to try this – simple yet elegant, and looks so yum!! :)
[...] Repeat this step until your filling and phyllo are used up and the tray bottom is filled (the Portokalopita gets folded in a similar [...]
Just had this for the first time at a Local Greek cake shop. And yes, yes, yes… It is moist , light and delicious. The lightest cake you’ve ever tasted. The strangest but most refreshing texture which doesnt make you feel guilty about having a second piece. Thank god in finding this post. Can’t wait to making this myself.