For the rural Greek communities that mastered them, pies were a main course. Made with or without phyllo and were liberally given different names per region, even when they contained more or less the same ingredients. The pie we’re making here is known as Mamaliga, Batzina or Kololithopita. In the old times, it was typically baked in a well-greased, round metal pan in a wood fire oven. It consists of mashed grated squash, flour, and sheep or goat milk, of which its inventors, being livestock farmers, had plenty.

The classic version is made with Summer Squash or Zucchini. In our recipe, we’ve opted for butternut squash, which is easier to find.  It will taste better when baked in a metal pan, no baking sheet, until slightly charred.