Ham and Cheese Pie (Greek Zambonotiropita)

greek-zambonotiropita This is such a fantastic recipe and exemplifies everything that is amazing about Greek cooking. This Greek ham and cheese pie, called a zambonopita, is so easy to make and you will be surprised by how delicious it is. I love that it is made with very simple ingredients. Not only that, the cooking technique is as simple as it could be - all you need to do is mix or whisk ingredients together and pour into a pan to bake. We enjoy this as a light meal, with a side of green salad or Greek salad.

Zambon in Greek means ham. Greeks actually eat quite a bit of pork (it is always surprising to people when they learn that pork is actually more popular than lamb in Greece). There are many variations of zambonopita; some use filo dough and others, like this one, do not. I like to think of zambonopita as the Greek version, loosely, of a ham and cheese sandwich.

1 cup plain Greek yogurt 2% or other
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
½ cup milk
⅔ cups Greek feta, crumbled
5 slices deli ham, cut into small pieces
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp. butter, melt 1 Tbsp.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Add your yogurt and eggs to a medium sized bowl and whisk until well combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to your yogurt / egg mixture and then also add the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter. Stir well to combine.

Grease the bottom and sides of your baking pan with 1 Tbsp. of melted butter. Pour your batter into the pan, and smooth out the top as best as you can.

Add some additional pepper on top if you'd like, and add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter, cut up into small pieces on top of the mixture.

Bake for approximately 35 minutes on the lower rack of your oven until the top is a nice golden brown.

Let cool for 3-5 minutes and then cut into pieces and remove from pan. If you will not be serving it immediately place the pieces on a wire rack so the bottom doesn't get soggy.

Refrigerate leftovers. Will remain fresh for 3-4 days after making it. You can reheat in the microwave, or eat it cold.

Cook's Notes:

Can I use another cheese instead of feta?
Using feta is traditional, but of course you can use any cheese you like. I would opt for another Greek cheese if you can, like a kefalotyri or a graviera. Otherwise, cheddar, gruyere or even something like Swiss cheese would work really well.