Olive Pies – Eliotes

By Mrs Sandri Lysandrou

Ingredients:

• 5 glasses self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 glass oil
• 1 1/3 – 1 ½ glasses fresh orange juice or ½ glass orange squash diluted in 1 glass water
• For the filling
• 2 ½ - 3 glasses black olives, rinsed, stoned and chopped
• 1 small onion, coarsely grated
• Dried or fresh mint
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 egg white to glaze

Method:

To make the dough, mix the flour with baking powder. Pour in the oil and rub into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread-crumps. Knead with as much orange juice as needed to make a fluffy dough.  To make the filling, mix the olives with mint, onion and olive oil.  Roll out the dough into oval sheets in the size you prefer. Place some filling on each sheet and spread over the whole surface using a spoon.  Roll these sheets from their wide side and put on an ungreased baking tray. Brush them with one egg white lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.  Bake in a preheated moderate oven (150°C) for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.