Metsovo is a town located in a mountainous region of Greece, between Thessaly and Epirus. Livestock farming has traditionally played an important role here, and the town’s cuisine is renowned for its variety of cheeses and meat dishes. Surprisingly, pasta is also a local specialty. Chylopittes (or hilopite) are egg pastes in the shape of small squares.
Easy to make, this recipe for chylopittes is typical of Metsovo. In fact, it combines all the city’s specialties: smoked cheese, meat and egg pasta. As metsovone is difficult to find outside Greece, you may want to substitute it with another smoked cheese such as cheddar or gouda.
Ingredients for 4 to 6 people
- 500gr chylopittes (if you’re in France, you can use farfalles or torsades)
- pulp from 4-5 tomatoes or a 500gr tin of tomato pulp
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 300 g bacon or fine smoked bacon
- olive oil
- salt, freshly ground pepper
- 200gr grated cheese (if you’re in Greece: a mixture of kefalofraviera and smoked metsovone – if you’re in France: gouda, cheddar)
Steps in the preparation of Metsovo chylopittes
- First, cut the brisket into 4x4cm pieces, brown them, remove the fat and set aside.
- Gently melt the onion and garlic in the olive oil, add the bacon, then after 2-3 minutes add the tomato flesh, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°.
- Pour the sauce into a 25x35cm dish, add 2 glasses of hot water, then the raw pasta. Mix well and place in the oven immediately.
- Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring regularly and adding water if necessary.
- When pasta is al dente, sprinkle with grated cheese and grill until gratinated.
Enjoy!
Note on chylopittes
Although this dish is traditionally made with homemade chylopittes, for this recipe you’ll want to use store-bought chylopittes (Misco or Stella brands, for example). They are made with durum wheat and take longer to cook. Artisanal pasta cooks faster and releases its starch during cooking. As a result, the dish becomes mushy.
Here’s a hint to help you choose the right chylopittes for this recipe: check the cooking time on the packaging. It must be longer than 10 minutes.
If you’re in France and can’t find chylopittes, use farfalles or torsades.
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To find out more about Metsovo, its culinary traditions and crafts, we suggest this article.
Thanks to Evi Siougari-Parmantier for sharing her love of the Greek islands with us, and for sharing this recipe with us. Evi and Marc, her husband, have a guesthouse in the heart of an organic olive grove in the Peloponnese. A paradise for all those who want to spend a nature vacation in Greece. And to learn more, it’s here.
