Come to think of it, I’m not sure why a spinach pie is associated with Easter, but I’ve made it as the first course of Easter dinner for past 10 years –probably more. The ingredients are available year-round, but the flavor is so fresh and, well, green, that I guess people associate it with the coming of Spring.
I think I keep coming back to this dish because the fresh, green flavors are so beautifully balanced. The greenness of spinach or chard or whatever greens you choose is complemented by the bouquet of dill, the sweetness of currants, a little heat from cayenne pepper and the richness of pine nuts and the all-butter pastry. It’s wonderful as the first course to an Easter feast of roast lamb, but a generous slice can also stand on its own for lunch or as a light supper with, say, a grilled lamb sausage and a little cheese to follow.
And it has offers lots of stress-relieving, make-ahead opportunities. The crust can be made days or weeks in advance and frozen. And the whole pie itself keeps well for at least a day unrefrigerated and covered with plastic wrap, so you can make it ahead and just warm it the the oven just before serving. When fresh greens in the market don’t look good, or to speed up the prep, you can use thawed frozen spinach.
A nice variation suggested by my friend Mary is to add fresh eggs: just make three or four depressions in the filling with a serving spoon and crack eggs into them just before covering with the top crust and baking.
Recipe
(for one 9-inch pie, adapted from “Gypsy Spinach Pie” in Festive Occasions Cookbook by Chuck Williams and Joyce Goldstein)
Ingredients
For the filling:
2lbs (1kg) spinach, chard, beet greens or a mixture thereof (tough ribs removed), or two 10oz (315g) packages of frozen spinach, thawed. Note that this is the trimmed weight of fresh greens. (I like the pie best when I use mostly chard.)
2oz (60g) unsalted butter or 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
About 12 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup (30g) toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup (30g) dried currants, soaked in warm water for at least 10 minutes
1/2 cup (20g) chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup (20g) chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs
olive oil for brushing the crust
For the pastry:
3/4 cup (180g) chilled unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
About 6-7 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
For the pastry:
1. Put the flour and salt into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Cut the butter into small chunks and add it too. Process until the mixture is the texture of damp cornmeal, but no more.
2. Add the water about a bit at at a time, processing just until the flour is incorporated. Do not let the mixture form a ball. Test the dough with your fingers –it should be just damp enough to stick together. If it’s not, add water a teaspoon at at time until it is.
3. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and form into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. The dough will be easier to work with if you refrigerate it for about 30 minutes before rolling it out.
4. Roll out your crust. Flour a surface that’s no warmer than room temperature (avoid, say, the counter over a running dishwasher) and roll out the larger ball of dough, turning it and flipping it over frequently, loosening it from the counter with a spatula or pastry blade if necessary. It should fit your pie plate with about an inch of overhang. Roll out the smaller ball for the top crust, again, with about an inch of excess all around, but don’t trim it yet. Transfer it to a piece of wax paper and put both crusts in the freezer to rest for about 30 minutes before you fill them. Don’t worry about rips, holes or irregular edges. Just patch them. And relax, it’s just a pie!
In the meantime, make the filling:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Wash and trim your greens, removing tough stems or ribs. Weigh them again to make sure you have the required 2lbs (1 kg) necessary to fill your pie shell. This will seem like a lot, but you’ll need it all.
2. Place the greens with the water still clinging to the leaves into a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Turn frequently until wilted, about 3-5 minutes. (If the pan gets dry, just add a little water.) Cool until you can handle them.
3. Wringing them like a dishcloth, squeeze as much water out of the greens as you can and then chop them coarsely. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter or warm the olive oil for about a minute and then add the green onions and cook them for about 3 minutes until they’re soft. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
5. Add the onions to the greens and season well with the salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Fold in the pine nuts, drained currants parsley and dill. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. Take out your pie crusts and cover the bottom of the bottom crust with the breadcrumbs. Then spoon in the filling. Moisten the exposed edge of the crust with a little water. (This will help the top crust adhere.)
7. Place the top crust over the pie and trim both crusts to leave a generous 1/2 inch (1cm) overhang. Then fold both crusts over, tucking the edge under and pressing the fold gently against the rim of the pie plate. At this point you can crimp the edge of the crust (using two fingers on one side of the fold and one on the other), or leave it as is. Then, if you’re so inclined, you can impress your friends with your pastry prowess by decorating the crust with scraps. (This is also an excellent way to hide scars in your pastry.) Brush the crust lightly with olive oil.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes in the middle of the oven until golden. Remove to a wire rack and let cook for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
I think the pie tastes best warm but not piping hot.
