Pilavuna

Pilavuna (or Flaounes) are a beautiful Cypriot cheese and sultana filled pastry, with a very unique flavour combination synonymous to Cyprus. This recipe uses in my first cookbook Meliz’s Kitchen 

The sweet, salty, cheesy and minty mix is just heavenly. What I love about recipes like Pilavuna is that each person or family has their own way of making them, their own unique recipe, and it’s always so lovely to see. 

Some make them more bread like and square in shape, but my mum has always shaped them into small triangles, with a thin, buttery, unyeasted pastry. I also add yoghurt and egg to my dough (a little like my bread and Lahmacun recipes on here, which keeps the dough crisp, yet soft, once cooked). 

Me and my mum were going to make some together, but obviously something in the form of physical distancing got in the way sooooo, I’ve used her recipe and tweaked it a little, and me and the kids made them together instead. 

I’ve popped the method on my Instagram stories and will save them to my highlights (click here). 

PILAVUNA 

Makes 14-15

For the filling

250 g (9 oz) hellim (halloumi cheese), finely grated

250 g (9 oz) Pecorino, finely grated

50 g (1¾ OZ) fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

50 g (1¾ Oz) semolina

25 g (1 oz) plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp caster sugar

125 g (4½ oz) sultanas

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp mahleb

8 large eggs

For the dough: 

750 g (1 lb 10 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting 

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

75 g (2¾ oz) unsalted butter

150 ml (5 fl oz) boiling water

1 large egg

2 tbsp thick set natural yoghurt

1 tsp caster sugar

Olive oil, for greasing

To Finish 

  

1 whisked egg 

10 tbsp sesame seeds

3 tsp nigella seeds

1 tsp aniseed 

Method 

Mix together all of the filling ingredients (the sultanas will swell up nicely in the moist mixture too). Cover the bowl with plastic film and chill in the fridge for 4 hours.

To make the pastry, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and leave to one side. Melt the butter in a heatproof jug with the boiling water, then top up with another 150 ml (5 fl oz) of cold water. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yoghurt and sugar and gently pour into the melted butter liquid. Mix everything together and top up with a little more cold water to bring the entire contents of the jug up to 500 ml (18 fl oz). 

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, and slowly start to pour in the liquid ingredients, using a large spoon to bring everything together. Turn the dough out on to a clean floured surface (adding a little more flour to the surface as you need, if necessary) and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Roll the dough into a large ball, dust the dough and bowl with flour, and return the dough to the bowl - cover with a tea towel and leave for 30 minutes. Remove the filling mixture from the fridge so that it can come up to room temperature.

On a large baking tray, mix the sesame and nigella seeds, aniseed and boiling water and leave to one side so that the seeds soften and swell a little. Whisk the egg in a bowl and leave to one side.

Line two large baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. 

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 14-15 equal pieces - each piece should weigh approximately 85 g (3 oz). On a clean work surface, roll each piece into a smooth ball using the palm of your hand.

Now start to roll out the dough into circular discs, gently pushing down and out with the rolling pin, and rotating at a 45° angle each time you do until you have a disc shape with a 16-cm (6-inch) diameter dusting with a little flour as you go, if necessary. If you have space, roll out all the disks at once, if not, you can roll, coat with seeds, fill and seal each pilavuna as you work. Brush one side of each dough disk all over with the beaten egg.

Gently press one of the discs, egg-washed side down, into the seed mixture so that the seeds stick to the dough. Lay the seeded side on the work surface, and place approximately 80 g (2¾ oz) of the filling in the centre. Fold up the sides of the disc in thirds to create a triangular parcel, firmly pressing down the corners of the triangle with a fork, while leaving some of the filling exposed in the centre. Place the parcel on the prepared baking sheet (usually four pilavuna will fit on each sheet and have two sheets in the oven on rotation at any one time).

Once you have eight pilavuna ready, put the sheets in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. By the time they're golden, the remaining pastries will be ready for the oven. Place on wire racks to cool.

These freeze well and can be wrapped in foil and heated in the oven or microwaved from frozen.