Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:

16-18 large sheets of phyllo dough
3 to 3 1/2 pounds of fresh pumpkin or squash, grated
2 cups of walnuts, crushed
1 1/3 cups of olive oil
1 cup of honey
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of dried breadcrumbs, crushed
4-5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
extra oil for brushing the phyllo dough
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Syrup:
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of water

Preparation:

The day before: If using fresh pumpkin, grate coarsely and boil for 20 minutes. Let drain overnight and press to remove excess liquid before using.

Sauté the pumpkin in the olive oil for 5-10 minutes, stirring so it doesn't stick to the pan. Remove from the heat, and transfer to a metal or pyrex bowl. Stir in the honey, breadcrumbs, crushed walnuts, and cinnamon, Stir well with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended and smooth.

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Lightly oil a 15 X 13 baking pan and line with 8-9 sheets of phyllo, brushing each with oil. Spoon in the pumpkin mixture and spread evenly. Fold the phyllo that extends out of the sides in over the mixture. Lay the remaining phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with oil, and trim off the edges that extend outside the pan with a scissors. Score the top phyllo sheets with a sharp knife into squares or large diamonds. Wet your hands with water and shake them over the top to sprinkle with water.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, set the pan on a rack and cool until the bottom of the pan is cool to the touch (about 2-3 hours).

When the pita has cooled, boil the honey, sugar, and water for 5 minutes and pour the hot syrup over the cooled pie.

Allow the pita to absorb the syrup until it cools to room temperature.

Alternative preparation: I like to make this in two or three small round bakers, using half or a third of the phyllo and filling for each. They make lovely table-ready sweets and gifts.

greekfood.about.com

By Nancy Gaifyllia

The Greek culture ministry has announced that it intends to officially sponsor the traditional villages of Epirus' Zagori district in northwestern Greece as a Greek 'cultural landscape' to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The 'Zagorochoria - North Pindos National Park' area have been on the UNESCO Tentative List for the last two years, which is one of the conditions for inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites.

"It is with great joy that the culture and sports ministry announces its decision to finalise its proposal for the inclusion of Zagori in the UNESCO World Heritage Monuments List," said Culture and Sports Minister Costas Tassoulas at a conference held at the culture ministry on Thursday, attended by ministry general secretary Lina Mendoni and Zagori Mayor Vassilis Spyrou.

The traditional stone built villages of the remote and mountainous Zagori area are among the best preserved traditional settlements in Greece and situated in an area of exceptional natural beauty, which includes features such as the Vikos Gorge and Voidomatis River.

In order for a cultural landscape to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, it must prove exceptional global value and its authenticity and integrity must be protected.

To read more please visit: TheTOC

To read more about the villages of Zagori of Greece, please visit:
http://www.xpatathens.com/living-in-athens/taste-experience/travel-in-greece/item/655-zagori-villages-hidden-behind-mountains/

The beautiful spring (summer?!) weather makes us all want to be outside. And that’s exactly where I was for most of the weekend. I decided to jump on my bicycle on Saturday and ‘just go’ – starting from Thiseio and braving the tough road to Piraeus, via Pireos Street, and back again. This took me a couple hours, and if I’m being honest, the roads were far less ‘tough’ than expected. I have the strong impression that Athens drivers have become very familiar and accommodating to cyclists. I can imagine what they’re saying behind their windows – but at least they notice the bikes and swerve around us. I even read that the City of Athens is planning to introduce bike rental stations in a few spots around the city. This may turn into a bike city yet!

Later in the evening I ventured out with some friends to the Museum of Cycladic Art for their (free!) street party. This was an event to promote the museum on the International Museum Day – they had various special events during the day, and closed down the street in the evening – with a DJ, free beer and a great vibe…

On Sunday a couple of us decided to meet for a late lunch. The requirements were ‘cheap & cheerful’ and ‘not a taverna’. We headed to the neighbourhood around Syntagma, towards Plaka, and wandered around with the usual ‘What about here? What about there?’ We settled on a vegetarian restaurant called Avocado. Now, I'm no vegetarian, so I wasn’t convinced at first. But I was certainly convinced afterwards. The food is delicious, the prices are right, the menu is incredibly varied – it never occurred to me that pizza could be classified as vegetarian – and the service was also really good. Refreshing. And lucky for those of us who live in the centre – they deliver.

These easy weekends seem to be few and far between lately – but what a great treat when one comes your way…

Until next week,

Jack

Museum of Cycladic Art
Neofytou Douka 4
www.cycladic.gr

Avocado
Nikis 30
www.avocadoathens.com

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest...