Galatopita (milk pie)

Ingredients

• 1.2 litres whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 200g golden caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting
• 150g fine semolina, plus a little extra for dusting
• 6 medium eggs
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 tsp cinnamon

Method

Heat your oven to 180C. Place the milk in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat. Add the vanilla and stir well. Add the semolina and sugar. Use a whisk to start bringing it all together. As the milk warms up and the semolina hydrates, you will see the mixture slowly thickening up. Keep whisking the mixture for 15-20 mins, so that it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot. The texture we’re going for is like that of a very thick béchamel sauce, or Greek yoghurt. It should also be smooth, not grainy.

When ready, remove the pot from the heat and leave for 5 mins so that it’s no longer scalding hot. Then add the eggs one at a time, whisking constantly, so that each egg is incorporated before you move on to the next one. The mixture will now be even silkier.

Oil and dust with semolina a shallow 20cm x 30cm baking tray. Pour in the mixture. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp sugar and sieve 1-2 tsp cinnamon on top.

Bake for 40-45 mins, until the pie has puffed up a little and wobbles only a touch. Remove from the oven, then leave to cool and firm up before slicing. (It keeps well in a cool place for 2-3 days.) Serve with extra cinnamon dusted on top.

Images: Joe Woodhouse