Spinach, ricotta and mint pie

 

On Saturday it just rained and rained and then rained some more. So I decided to make this pie which did take up a fair amount of time, but was very satisfying to make and more satisfying to eat. My attempt shows a very homemade looking pie but thats fine, it doesn't have to look perfect.  The recipe is from A Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine. 

    
Filling
500g frozen spinach, defrosted
2 tsp olive oil
250g ricotta cheese
20g parmesan, grated
3 eggs
½ bunch mint, leaves finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pastry
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt then add enough cold water to make dough, bringing it together with your hands until smooth or you could do this step in the food processor. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200ºC. Grease a 24cm springform tin. Cut off two-thirds of the dough and roll out thinly on a lightly floured surface into a large circle enough to fit the tin with a little overhang. Using a rolling pin drape it into the tin, pressing it into the bottom. Cover the pastry with a piece of baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15-20 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven, remove the baking paper and beans and set aside to cool while you make the filling.

Defrost the frozen spinach by frying with the olive oil and leaving over a medium heat until defrosted, squeezing out the excess water from the spinach or use a microwave then transfer to a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Add the ricotta, the parmesan, and 2 eggs, season and mix well. Stir in the mint then spoon the filling evenly into the pastry case.

Roll out the remaining pastry so it’s large enough to cover the tin. Trim off any excess pastry and use your fingers to seal the edges together. Use a sharp knife to slash 4 slits at the centre of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Brush a beaten egg all over the top of the pie.


Bake the pie 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling heated through (slide a knife into one of the slashes down to the base of the pie; it should come out feeling warm to the touch). Remove from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Turn out of the tin and serve warm or at room temperature.