Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Kolokithopita
243 kcal a serving, against 557 for the traditional version. That is 314 kcal off, or 56%, with 13.2g of protein. Serves 8. 75 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A thick, rustic pastry casing wrapped around grated courgettes. The filling relies heavily on large blocks of feta cheese and whole eggs to bind the watery vegetables, with a heavy pour of olive oil to enrich the mix and fry the base in the tin.
What changed, and what each change costs
500g of raw pastry down to 200g of filo
Thick shortcrust or rustic dough acts like a sponge for fat. Filo is naturally lean, and brushing it sparingly gives you a crisp shell for a fraction of the cost.
What it costs you. It shatters everywhere when you cut it. You lose that dense, chewy bite of a traditional crust, and the base layers steam rather than fry.
400g of feta down to 100g of feta and 300g of light ricotta
Feta is brilliant for flavour but terrible for lean protein. Light ricotta brings serious volume and structure to the filling while drastically improving the balance of the dish.
What it costs you. Much milder, then. Not a pungent salt bomb, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. The ricotta dilutes the sharp sheep cheese punch, so you have to rely heavily on the fresh herbs to bridge the gap.
100g of olive oil down to 20g
Drowning the filling and the pastry in oil makes a very rich pie. I use just enough to sweat the onions and lightly crisp the top layers of filo.
What it costs you. The pastry lacks that deep, fried olive oil finish. You have to work quickly before the dry filo cracks on the worktop.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 557 | 243 |
| Protein | 15.5g | 13.2g |
| Fat | 43g | 11.6g |
| Saturated fat | 20.5g | 4.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 30.3g | 22.5g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.8g | 5.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk, eggs.
The method is in the book
A massive win for everyday eating. You get a huge, crisp slice of pie that delivers all the dill and feta notes you want. The light ricotta provides a brilliant, stable texture that stops the whole thing from turning to mush.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback