Dried Cod Fish Pie

This recipe comes from MariaElena Sikolas-Toledo and her mother, Kathy Katevatis Sikolas, who has been cooking since she was 12 years old and, reports MariaElena, she "continues to titillate the taste buds of those lucky enough to sit at her kitchen table."

According to MariaElena, dried cod fish pie is exclusive to the Greek Island of Cephalonia, where Kathy Sikolas was born and raised. Cephalonia is the largest of the islands in the Ionian Sea and "has a rich, varied cuisine."

While the dish is not difficult to make, the recipes is a bit time-consuming, especially if you make your own phyllo dough, which MariaElena insists "is worth the extra elbow grease." If you don¿t want to make homemade phyllo dough, use one package (two sheets) of frozen puff pastry. When using puff pastry, don¿t oil the baking dish and rather than oiling the top of the pie, brush it with an egg wash, which is one egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water.

The time commitment required for this recipe is also due to the fact that the dried cod needs to be rinsed, soaked, and poached before you can make the filling. Keep in mind that brands of salt cod can vary in their degree of saltiness so while 24 hours may be sufficient for some, the full 36-hour soak will be required for others. To test the cod, simply taste a small piece after one day—it should be pleasantly salty but not overwhelming.