Flaounopita
Φλάουνοπιτα Κυπριακή
Cypriot Halloumi Pie
Loulla’s recipes
UK Cypriot celebrity TV chef Loulla Astin is teaching us how to make Flaounopita
Loulla is based in Manchester has a appeared on TV in eggs and baker, This morning and even had her own series Simply Greek.And was voted Granada TV woman of the year in 1995.
Ok a lot of you have been asking for a Flaounopita recipe again, so here it is! If you don’t have Μαχλέπι, mahlepi or Μαστίχα, masick gum don’t worry it will still taste nice.
Flaounopita is a traditional Cypriot light savoury cheese cake/pie, similar to Flaounes, Cypriot Easter pies, but much easier to make. The Greeks make a similar cheese pie, but they use feta or graviera cheese or both and no sultanas. They call it Τυρόπιτα χωρίς παντελόνι, Tyropita horis panteloni, pie without trousers or Ανυβρακοτι, (anivrakoti) without nickers, because of the absents of the pastry, love the Greek descriptions ,this always makes me smile and laugh, which it’s fabulous way to feel when you are cooking, don’t you agree ?
Recipe
1 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 vegetable oil
5 eggs
1-2 tbsp. sugar
1 cup full fat milk
1/2 tsp. ground mastic-gum
1/2 tsp ground mahlepi
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. dried mint or 3 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
3 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 x 225g halloumi,grated or a mixture of cheese
1/2 cup sultanas, optional
Freshly ground black or white pepper
Sesame seeds for decoration
1 bundt form 1×12 litre, greased and floured
Method
Preheat the oven 180c gas 4
Whisk oil, eggs, sugar and milk. Add cinnamon,mint, flour, baking powder, mastic-gum mahlepi,and the flour then the cheese and sultanas and season with pepper. Place into the prepared Bundt pan, sprinkled with sesame seeds and bake until golden 50-60 minutes,, checked to see if it’s cooked, by placing a cake skewer in the cake, if it comes out clear then is ready.
Enjoy warm or cold!
Loulla Astin
