Anna Zafirson transfers kotopita – chicken pie filling – from a pan into a bowl at St. Demetrios Orthodox Church on a recent day, as the St. Fotini Society prepares for the Bazaar Express, set for pickup Nov. 19 and 20. Online orders for an array of authentic Greek main dishes and pastries are due in Nov. 17. Tammy Wells Photo
SACO — The scent of the chicken, mushrooms and vegetables mixed with herbs like oregano and mint, and combined with feta and other cheeses is, in a word, intoxicating. The kotopita, or village chicken pie, smells like home — even if you have never been to Greece or are not of Greek heritage.
Kotopita and a host of other tasty authentic Greek foods will all be available for pick up 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Demetrios Orthodox Church in Saco on Nov. 19 and 20, courtesy of the St. Fotini 2021 Bazaar Express.
Online ordering, which includes prepayment, begins Nov. 8, and runs through Nov. 17 and can be made at: http://www.stdemetriosofmaine.com/ Organizers prefer online ordering, but those without a computer may call 934-2159. Phone orders and payment must be received by Nov. 12.
What is available? Well, moussaka, which is an eggplant entree topped with a bechamel sauce; pastitsio, a Greek version of lasagna; spanakopita, a mix of spinach and cheeses between paper thin layers of phyllo pasty sheets — the latter by the piece or by the pan; mixed appetizers, and pastries including baklava, karithopita, ravini, koulourakia, paximathia, sweet bread, a Romanian walnut and chocolate sweet bread called cozonac, and apple strudel.
It is all homemade in the church kitchen.
Janice Antonacos places a sheet of phyllo pastry onto a pan of kotopita – Greek chicken pie – in preparation for the upcoming Bazaar Express coming up later this month. Online orders are due in Nov. 17 for pick-up Nov. 19 and 20. Tammy Wells Photo
The kotopita, along with the Romanian bread and the apple strudel are new this year, and on a recent day, the St. Fotini Society ladies were mixing vast bowls of the richly scented chicken pie filling that was later tucked into phyllo pastry.
While the women in the kitchen were mixing the filling, those in the church hall were brushing the phyllo pastry sheets with warm melted butter, one sheet at a time. About 10 sheets pf phyllo is used for each pie.
Rhoda Conley said she found a recipe for the pie and started making it at home a few years ago.
“There are different versions in different regions of Greece,” she said, and so when the St. Fotini Ladies were looking for a new main dish to add to their repertoire, kotopita was chosen.
Cindy Carr, left, and Eftchya Daskalaki right, brush butter on sheets of phyllo dough as they make kotopita, one of several main dishes and pasties available at the upcoming Greek Bazaar Express at St. Demetrios Orthodox Church in Saco. Tammy Wells Photo
While recent past bazaars have been drive thru pick-up due to the pandemic, this year, folks can stop in to pick up their orders; and folks are asked to wear a mask when they do.
As well as online ordering, there will be some other home baked specialties — such as cookies and pies — available on pickup days.
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