Plasto (without yiayia)
07
So, four months later and I have finally made the plasto my yiayia taught me how to make. Although it’s one of my favorite things to eat, I am constantly just running across new things I want to try every week, so it keeps getting pushed back. Plus, I very recently made spanakopitas which are extremely similar.
Plasto is a regional Greek dish that is essentially a greens pie with a cornmeal crust. You can really use any greens you want, though spinach usually tends to make up the bulk of the filling (at least for my grandma’s version). Chard, dandelion greens, mustard greens, etc. will all work. It’s totally up to you.
This took a little trial and error (I had originally thought I could get away with a cup of cornmeal but ended up adding an additional half cup). And, though the recipe below is more recipe-like than the one I started with, it will still vary a little based on what type of pan you use. I was debating on using an 11×7 baking dish or a 9″ springform and ultimately went for the springform since I prefer baking with metal (my 11×7 is glass), it would be easier to get out, and it fits more so I could have a higher filling-to-crust ratio. If you go the route of a regular cake pan (or 9×9 or 11×7) you will need to reduce the filling below. And honestly, I am not 100% sure about the filling amounts, anyway. I didn’t *really* measure 7 cups of greens but to me, that’s what it looked like. If you’re not sure, just build your filling in your baking dish and dump it into a bowl before adding the feta, to make sure you don’t have too much or too lilttle. Remember, of course, that they will “shrink” as they cook.
Plasto
5 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
2 cups swiss chard, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill or about 1 Tbsp. dried
1 leek, sliced (whites and light green parts)
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 Tbsp. softened butter, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1.5 cups cornmeal
1/3 cup + about 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together your spinach, chard, dill, leek, feta and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Spread 1 Tbsp. each of the softened butter and olive oil on the bottom of your pan. In a medium bowl, add the cornmeal, a pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup of milk. You may use a little more or less milk but you are going for a crumbly mixture that you can press into a crust. Place half the mixture over the oiled/buttered pan and press down to form a crust.
Place your greens on top of the bottom crust. To the remainder of your cornmeal mixture, add the milk slowly, mixing with a fork, until you get a consistency that is wet and spreadable, but not too liquidy. You should be able to spoon the mixture over the greens, but it should not pour out of the bowl. Dollop the mixture over the greens and form a top crust by spreading it around. Top the pie with dollops of the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the olive oil. Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
The following nutritional information is with using real butter and 2% milk. This is for 1/6 of the pie.
Calories: 278 / Fat: 14g / Carbs: 31.4g / Protein: 8.8g
Thank you Ellie! I have been searching for a recipe for Plasto and came upon your blog. Our Greek Festival is next weekend and I have been doing cooking demonstrations for many years. Plasto is something my Yiayia and Mother also made, but like many of their recipes, they were not written down. I fortunately committed most of them to memory, but not Plasto. My grandparents came from the same area as yours, so it definitely is regional. They were from the region of Thessaly in a tiny village not far from Trikala. Thank you for the warm and wonderful memory and I will remember you as I demonstrate (and offer a sample of!) Plasto!
Hi Elly. I randomly came across your blog and found this recipe. It looked so delicious that I made it for dinner last night. My husband and I could not get enough of it! We are both Greek but have never heard of this dish before. Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Also…I’m around your age, live in Chicago, and also have a husband named Tom!
Hi Alexandra! I’m so glad you guys liked the plasto! It’s definitely a regional thing so I know a lot of Greeks have never heard of it. And we sound pretty similar. 🙂
I am excited to try this recipe , thank you for posting it. 🙂 To me it brings back a lot of childhood memories of the days when my aunt would make it for all the neighborhood kids every week.
I can’t wait to make this dish. But what type and size pan should I use? Thanks !!
I use a 9″ springform because it’s higher than a standard cake pan. You could also use a baking dish (like 11×7), but you might need to increase the amount of crust.