Portokalopita of Argolida (Πορτοκαλόπιτα Αργολίδας)

Portokalopita from Argolida is orange country in a baking pan: shredded phyllo, dried until brittle, folded through yogurt and eggs, then soaked with syrup until the crumb turns custardy and bright. It isn't a flour cake with orange perfume. The phyllo is the body of it, and the winter orange is the whole reason for making it.

The method that decides it is the drying. Spread the phyllo sheets out until they break in your hands, then crumble them into the batter in handfuls. Soft phyllo collapses into paste and makes a heavy sweet; brittle phyllo keeps small spaces for the syrup to travel. That's the difference between portokalopita and a wet pudding.

Pour cold syrup over the cake while the tray is still hot, then leave it alone. It will look like too much syrup at first. Don't panic. By the time it cools, the edges are glossy, the middle is soft, and the orange has settled into every bite. I keep this version plain because the orange groves of Argolida don't need help, just good fruit and patience.