Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Prasopita
343 kcal a serving, against 614 for the traditional version. That is 271 kcal off, or 44%, with 15.8g of protein. Serves 8. 75 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Massive quantities of sliced leeks gently fried in a heavy glug of olive oil until soft. A rich, heavy filling made by mixing the leeks with big blocks of crumbled feta, whole milk ricotta and whole eggs. The whole lot gets wrapped in thick layers of filo pastry that are heavily brushed with melted butter or even more olive oil before hitting the oven.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter and heavy oil down to a light brush of olive oil
Filo needs some fat to crisp up in the oven, but it absolutely does not need to be drenched. Using a pastry brush and a very light hand gives you the necessary crunch without the resulting grease puddle on your plate.
What it costs you. You lose the deep, buttery shatter of a commercial bakery pie. The pastry here is crisper, slightly drier, and breaks apart more sharply.
Whole eggs and standard ricotta down to egg whites and part-skimmed ricotta
Whole eggs and full-fat cheese add massive amounts of fat to a dish that already has plenty. Egg whites and lighter ricotta bind the leeks perfectly while giving you a massive hit of protein.
What it costs you. Call it a bit firmer and focuses purely on the sweet vegetables and salty feta rather than a rich, custard-like filling and you'll be about right.
A big chunk of the feta replaced with fat-free Greek yoghurt
Feta is brilliant for flavour but extremely heavy on fat. Cutting the feta by half and bringing in the thick yoghurt keeps the tangy moisture in the pie while dumping the excess fat.
What it costs you. The sharp sheep cheese flavour is less aggressive. You end up tasting the fresh herbs and the toasted pastry a lot more than you would in the classic version.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 614 | 343 |
| Protein | 15.7g | 15.8g |
| Fat | 44.1g | 13.2g |
| Saturated fat | 17g | 5.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 40.5g | 41.5g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.6g | 4.6g |
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 solid victory for the home cook. The sweet leeks are the star of the show, exactly as they should be. You absolutely miss the heavy butter on the pastry, but the filling is fantastic. The whole thing stays fiercely traditional in flavour, and it serves up a brilliant slice of pie.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback