Spinach pie

It's taken me so long to write up this recipe because the truth is, I make it differently every time. I use different cheeses depending on what we have in the fridge, sometimes I add dill or parsley and occasionally I’ll add leftover chickpeas. But I've tried to keep things relatively simple in this recipe. When I have time I make my own buckwheat pastry, but mostly I use frozen puff pastry for convenience. Investing in a good quality all butter puff pastry is definitely worth it!

Hope you love this recipe like my family does. It's particularly high in protein, calcium and iron. I found it really helpful in the early months of pregnancy when morning sickness got the better of me. More information about these nutrients and why they are important in pregnancy can be found in my book, Nurture the Seed.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 garlic, crushed

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 bunch English spinach/silver beet/swiss chard (~350g), stalks removed and finely chopped

500g fresh ricotta

1/2 cup grated parmesan or crumbled feta

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs, lightly beaten (plus an extra egg for the egg wash)

Generous grind of salt and pepper

1-2 sheets puff pastry (I use wholemeal spelt puff pastry)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a large pie dish.

Add half of the oil to a pan over a low heat, and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes then increase the heat to medium and add the garlic, anchovy and fennel seeds. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place in a large bowl.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Sauté the spinach (you may need to do this in 2 batches). Add the cooked spinach to the bowl with the onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Next add the ricotta, parmesan/feta, nutmeg and eggs to the bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix everything together until well combined.

Line your pie dish with pastry, keeping a bit of pastry for the top. Add your filling, then crisscross the top with what ever pastry you have leftover.

Whisk an egg and brush the top of the pie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden on top.

Note: I am always asked where I buy my pantry staples. Some of the ingredients listed here I buy from an online store called Part and Parcel. They have a huge range of good quality products at wholesale prices, and best of all you can shop from your couch! If you would like to try them out, use the code nurturetheseed20 for $20 off your first order over $99. I highly recommend!