Chef Dimitra
Agrafa Batzina (Μπατζίνα), Courgette and Feta Pie
Agrafa's batzina is the no-phyllo pie of Karditsa: grated courgette, feta, eggs, milk, and flour poured thin into a hot oiled tapsi.
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Politiko Kataifi (Κανταΐφι Πολίτικο)
Created by
Politiko kataifi is shredded phyllo rolled snugly around walnuts and butter, baked until bronze, then soaked with lemon syrup so each strand stays crisp at the edges and tender within.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Christmas
Celebration
Special Occasion
45 min
Active Time
1 hr 5 min cook•5 hr 50 min total
Yield24 rolls, 12 servings
Politiko kataifi, the shredded phyllo sweet of Constantinople, is a nest of fine pastry threads rolled around walnuts, baked with butter, then soaked with clear lemon syrup. It belongs to the City and to the Asia Minor sweet tray, where syrup sweets were not decoration but the proof that a house knew how to receive guests.
The roll decides it. Pull the strands open until they lie like combed hair, butter them, then wrap the walnut filling snugly, not crushed. A loose kataifi drinks syrup in puddles and leaves dry middles; a crushed one bakes heavy. Pack the rolls side by side in the pan and they take the syrup evenly, each one crisp at the edges and sweet through the center.
I make it for Christmas because that's when Thessaloniki still smells of butter, cinnamon, and syrup cooling at the back of the stove. Your grandmother cooked by eye because she'd made it a thousand times. Here are the numbers until you have.
Kataifi belongs to the Politiki and Asia Minor pastry tradition, linked to Ottoman urban sweet shops where shredded dough called kadayıf was cooked on heated plates by specialists. The Greek rolled version, filled most often with walnuts and cinnamon, settled into Christmas and celebration trays in Constantinopolitan and Smyrnaic households. After the 1922 expulsions from Asia Minor, refugee families carried these syrup-sweet methods into Thessaloniki, Kavala, Volos, and Athens.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo, κανταΐφι)
Quantity
500g
thawed if frozen and kept covered
walnuts
Quantity
300g
finely chopped, not ground
caster sugar
Quantity
40g
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1 1/2 tsp
ground cloves
Quantity
1/8 tsp
clarified unsalted butter
Quantity
250g
melted and warm
unsalted pistachios (optional)
Quantity
30g
finely chopped for finishing
granulated sugar
Quantity
600g
water
Quantity
450ml
Greek honey
Quantity
80g
lemon peel
Quantity
1 wide strip
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
2 tbsp
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo, κανταΐφι)thawed if frozen and kept covered | 500g |
| walnutsfinely chopped, not ground | 300g |
| caster sugar | 40g |
| ground cinnamon | 1 1/2 tsp |
| ground cloves | 1/8 tsp |
| clarified unsalted buttermelted and warm | 250g |
| unsalted pistachios (optional)finely chopped for finishing | 30g |
| granulated sugar | 600g |
| water | 450ml |
| Greek honey | 80g |
| lemon peel | 1 wide strip |
| cinnamon stick | 1 |
| fresh lemon juice | 2 tbsp |
Equipment Needed
- •rectangular metal baking pan, 30 x 40cm
- •pastry brush
- •small saucepan, 2 liter
- •clean kitchen towel for covering kataifi threads
Instructions
- 1
Make the syrup
Put the sugar, water, lemon peel, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 8 minutes. Pull it off the heat, stir in the honey and lemon juice, and leave it to cool completely. For kataifi, the syrup waits for the pastry.
- 2
Mix the filling
Mix the walnuts with the caster sugar, cinnamon, and clove. The nuts should be small enough to roll neatly, but not powdered. Powdered walnuts turn heavy and pasty, and this sweet needs a little bite under the syrup.
- 3
Prepare the pastry
Heat the oven to 160C fan or 175C conventional. Brush a 30 x 40cm metal baking pan with a little of the warm clarified butter. Open the kataifi pastry and pull the strands apart gently with your fingers until they loosen and fluff, then keep the pile covered with a clean towel while you work. Dry kataifi cracks before it rolls.
- 4
Roll the kataifi
Take about 20g of kataifi threads and lay them into a narrow strip, roughly 25cm long. Brush or drizzle with butter, set 1 tablespoon of walnut filling at one end, fold the sides in, and roll snugly around the filling. Place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling, setting the rolls close together so they support each other.
Snug means the roll holds its shape when lifted. If you squeeze until the filling shows through, you've gone too far. - 5
Bake until bronze
Pour the remaining warm clarified butter evenly over the rolls, especially over the dry ends. Bake on the middle rack for 55 to 65 minutes, until the kataifi is deep gold all over and the underside is colored too. If the top browns too early, lower the oven by 10C and let the center dry properly.
- 6
Syrup the rolls
As soon as the pan comes from the oven, ladle the cooled syrup slowly over the hot kataifi in three passes, moving across the whole pan. Use all the syrup. Do not flood one corner and hope for mercy. The tight rolls drink evenly, and this is what gives you crisp edges with a sweet center instead of dry middles and soggy ends.
Hot pastry, cooled syrup. That temperature difference helps the strands stay distinct while they take in the syrup. - 7
Rest and serve
Leave the kataifi at room temperature for at least 4 hours, uncovered or very loosely covered, until the syrup has settled into the rolls. Scatter with pistachios if you like. Serve in small pieces with Greek coffee, because this is a sweet that knows exactly how rich it is.
Chef Tips
- •Buy kataifi pastry from a shop with good turnover. If the threads are dry and broken in the packet, they won't roll cleanly, and no amount of syrup will repair them.
- •Λίγα και καλά: use walnuts that taste sweet and fresh. Taste one before chopping. If it is bitter, stop there, because syrup only makes bad nuts sweeter.
- •Clarified butter keeps the strands crisp and clean-tasting. If you have a little sheep or goat butter from a Greek grocer, blend 50g into the clarified cow butter for the old pastry-shop aroma.
- •Do not refrigerate finished kataifi. Keep it at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 4 days. The first day is crispest; the second day is softer and deeper.
- •This butter version belongs to Christmas and celebration trays. For a fasting table, some cooks make a nistisimo kataifi with mild olive oil or plant fat, but name it as that version. It is not the same dish.
Advance Preparation
- •Thaw frozen kataifi in the refrigerator overnight, then leave it sealed at room temperature for 1 hour before opening.
- •Make the syrup up to 3 days ahead; keep it chilled, then let it come to cool room temperature before using.
- •Shape the rolls up to 12 hours ahead, cover the pan tightly, and refrigerate. Bake straight from the refrigerator, adding 5 to 8 minutes if needed.
- •Finished kataifi needs at least 4 hours to settle and is even better the next day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 170g)
Calories
740 calories
Total Fat
39 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
23 g
Cholesterol
55 mg
Sodium
200 mg
Total Carbohydrates
93 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
61 g
Protein
9 g
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