Herbed Ricotta & Spinach Pie

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 250 g Baby spinach
  • 1 large handful Basil, fresh leaves
  • 1 Lemon, zest of large
  • 1 large handful Mint, fresh leaves

• Refrigerated

  • 4 Egg

• Baking & Spices

  • 150 g Plain flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 200 g Wholewheat flour

• Dairy

  • 160 g Butter, unsalted
  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 500 g Ricotta cheese, Fresh

• Liquids

  • 4 tbsp Water

Found on mattersofthebelly.com

Description

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST:
• • 200g wholewheat flour
• • 150g plain flour
• • ½ tsp. salt
• • 160g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• • 1 egg, lightly beaten
• • 4 tbsp. ice cold water
• FOR THE FILLING:
• • 250g baby spinach, OR 3 bunches regular spinach, stems removed, OR 250g frozen spinach, defrosted, squeezed dry & finely chopped
• • 500g fresh ricotta cheese
• • 50g grated parmesan cheese
• • 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
• • 1 large handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• • 1 large handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• • finely grated zest of one large lemon
• • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• EGGWASH FOR BRUSHING:
• • 1 egg
• • 2 tbsp. milk

Directions

• MAKE THE CRUST: Place the flours and salt in a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is sandy and pea-sized lumps of butter still remain. Add the egg and water and pulse until the mixture comes together and starts to form a dough. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it into 2, making one portion larger than the other (1/3 and ⅔). Flatten each portion into a round disk and wrap with cling film, and place them in the fridge to rest for 30min to an hour.
• MAKE THE FILLING: First, blanch the spinach (skip this step if using frozen). Bring a large pot of water to the boil, drop in the spinach, cover the pot and cook for just 30 seconds until the leaves wilt. Drain the spinach and immediately plunge them into a large bowl filled with ice cold water (I like to throw in some ice cubes to keep it super cold). Swish the leaves in the cold water for a few second till cool, then drain them and using your hands; squeeze out all the excess moisture from the leaves. You want to get as much water out as possible. Once well drained, finely chop the spinach an place into a bowl.
• Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the bowl and mix with a fork until thoroughly combined. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
• Preheat oven to 180C (350F)
• ASSEMBLE THE PIE: Roll out the larger of the two pastry disks to form the base of the pie. Sprinkle flour onto a clean counter and use a rolling pin to roll out the pastry from the centre outwards, rotating as you go until it is about 3mm thick and is a circle about 5-7cm larger than a 22cm pie dish; you may need to bang the pastry a few times at first with the rolling pin to soften the dough and flatten it (refer to video). Transfer the pastry to your pie dish and tuck it in gently, letting the pastry sit comfortably against the sides of the dish. Place the dish with the base in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes while you prepare the lattice.
• To prepare the lattice, roll out the second, smaller pastry disk into a circle 3mm thick and slightly larger than the top of your pie, about 25cm. Using a fluted or plain pastry wheel (or just a regular knife if you don’t have one), cut the pastry into 8 equal strips. The easiest way is to cut it in half first, then each half into half again, then half again (refer to video). Separate the strips and set aside.
• Take the pie base & the filling out of the fridge. Pour the filling into the pie base and smooth it out with a spatula. Arrange the pastry strips on top of the filling to form the lattice and fold the edges over, pinching the edges to form a pretty border (refer to video for easy step-by-step guide).
• Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with the milk and brush the top of the pastry generously.
• Bake the pie in the oven for 60-70minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the centre of the pie is slightly puffed up and domed (it will deflate while cooling). Leave to cool at least 10-15 minutes before slicing, serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 5 days, and reheat in the oven or a toaster (avoid microwaving it as it will make the pastry soggy).