Lenten Fish or Veggie Pie by Kristina Stankov (Memory Eternal)
3 cups onion, finely chopped
3 medium-size tilapia fillets
Note: Depending on fasting preference, replace fish and onions with 2 cups each of mushrooms, leeks, and potatoes, or 6 cups of another favorite combination of veggies.
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or to taste)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 package (18 sheets) thawed phyllo dough (keep unopen at room temperature about 6 hours before cooking)
1 cup soda water
Sauté onion until translucent. For fish, bake tilapia at 380°F for 15 mins (don’t cook through, because it will be baked again), then shred with fork into small pieces. For veggies, lightly sauté or cook. Mix, then add salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Lightly coat a 7 × 11 pan with oil. Open phyllo, and keep sheets covered with a kitchen cloth so they don’t dry out. Place 3 to 4 phyllo sheets in the bottom of the pan, lightly oiled in between and gently crumpled (not flat). Layer phyllo dough and filling: 2 phyllo sheets (lightly oiled between each), then filling, spreading evenly. For final layer, place 3 to 4 phyllo sheets on top, lightly oiled between each and gently crumpled.
Before baking, cut into 28 pieces. Pour soda water evenly over the pie, making sure it soaks to the bottom of the pan. Let sit 5 minutes before putting it in the oven. Bake at 380°F for about 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
