Ingredients
Method
Dough and meat
- Mix the flour and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the 90 ml olive oil and 160 ml lukewarm water, stir until it comes together, then knead on the counter for 5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. If it sticks to your hands, add 1 tbsp flour at a time. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes while the meat simmers.
- Put the beef, quartered onion, bay leaf and 1 tsp salt in the 5-quart / 4.7 L pot and add the 1.5 L water. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam for the first 5 minutes. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, set the lid slightly open, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Add the chicken thighs and simmer for 30 more minutes, until the beef is tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken pulls easily from the bone. Lift the meat onto a board and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. Measure out 400 ml of broth and save the rest for soup. Let the meat cool while you cook the rice.
Filling
- Heat the 3 tbsp olive oil in the 3-quart / 2.8 L saucepan over medium heat. Cook the chopped onion for 6 to 7 minutes, until soft and lightly golden. Stir in the rice for 1 minute, then add 300 ml of hot broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 12 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost tender with a slight bite. Tip it into a large bowl.
- Discard the chicken bones and shred the chicken. Pull or chop the beef into pieces about 1 cm. Add all the meat to the rice with the parsley, kefalotyri, nutmeg, pepper and 1/2 tsp salt, then stir in 100 ml of broth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the 2 beaten eggs.
- Press a spoonful of filling in your hand. It should hold together without dripping. If liquid pools in the bowl, leave it behind when you fill the pie.
Assemble and bake
- Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F with a rack in the lower third. Brush the 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cut the dough into two pieces, one about two-thirds and one about one-third. Roll the larger piece on a floured counter to about 3 mm thick and line the dish, letting it hang over the edges by about 2 cm.
- Spoon in the filling and press it level with the back of a spoon. Roll the smaller piece of dough to a rectangle slightly larger than the dish and lay it on top. Fold the overhang over the lid and press the edges with a fork to seal. Prick the top all over with a fork and brush with the egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the edges are crisp. Rest the pie in the dish on a rack for 15 minutes, then cut into 12 squares.
Notes
- Make the dough first so it rests while the meat simmers.
- Save the leftover broth for soup or to cook rice.
- Taste the filling before adding the eggs, since kefalotyri is already salty.
- Let the pie rest 15 minutes or the squares will fall apart.
