Saturday, May 7, 2011

Spinach and three-cheese pie and conquering fears

Spinach and three-cheese pie / Torta de três queijos e espinafre

I once watched an interview with Carrie Ann Moss, back when she was promoting "Red Planet", in which she said that wearing a space helmet for the film had been a very difficult thing since she was claustrophobic. She joked and said something like “one fear down, many more to go”.

Carrie Ann, my friend, I know the feeling: now that I’ve made a filo pie without tearing the bejeesus out of the pastry I’m ready to conquer another fear. Heights, maybe? ;)

Spinach and three-cheese pie
adapted from Modern Classics 1

5 sheets ready prepared filo pastry
3 ½ tablespoons (50g) unsalted butter, melted
1 bunch spinach, trimmed and blanched*
½ cup (100g) ricotta, crumbled
¼ cup (50g) feta, crumbled
¼ cup (20g) finely grated parmesan
3 eggs
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x10cm (8x4in) shallow ovenproof baking dish**.
Layer one sheet of the filo pastry on a clean, dry surface (keep the other sheets covered with a clean, damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out), forming a 30x20cm (12x8in) rectangle, brush with melted butter and cover with another sheet. Repeat the process until you used all the sheets. Line the prepared baking dish with the filo sheets. In a bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, feta and parmesan. Top the pastry with the cheese mixture. In the same bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chives, salt and pepper and pour over the spinach mixture. Brush edges of pastry with remaining butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until egg is set and pastry is golden.

* place the spinach leaves in a pan of boiling water for 5 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and immediately soak in a bowl of ice water. Remove from the water and squeeze excess liquid.

** I used a 20x15cm (8x6in) baking dish

Serves 2

14 comments:

Finla said...

I can imagine the cracking noise when slicing those tarts.
Excelent for the summer lunch with a salade.
Wowo a baker like you fearing phyllo, then what would we mere mortals say about phyllo ;-)

Nisa-mom said...

OMG..the pie looks tasty,TFS..you giving me idea for mother's day picnic dish ,Thank you Patricia, Have a wonderful mother's Day..

Unknown said...

looks glorious, patricia! now that is a work of art! You are way ahead of me--have not conquered filo yet--on the list! :) Bon Weekend! xo

Luv'n Spoonfuls said...

I love the look of this pie! I think phyllo is a great product to work with and I love the many applications. It's so nice to see it in recipes that aren't sweet (I'm addicted to baklava). Thanks for the inspiration!

Rivki Locker said...

Congrats on the filo. This looks wonderful!

Cynthia said...

This is gorgeous and looks so yummy.

Katie said...

yumm definitely making this one...your blog never fails to make my mouth water!

Priya Suresh said...

Fantastic pie,marvellous..

Sarah said...

I have a dream of one day conquering my own fear to actually make homemade phyllo--when I do I will make this pie.

ChichaJo said...

Lovely! I am a big fan of savory pies :)

lisaiscooking said...

The crust looks so perfectly golden and crispy, and the filling sounds incredible!

Anonymous said...

this looks great! i love combining spinach and cheese - especially feta... reminds me of spanakopita. I can't wait to try this!

Rachel B said...

This is amazing....
Just made it today, and would definitely make it again!
If you haven't tried it, you should.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Hey, Rachel! That is such great news, I'm glad you liked the recipe!

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