Rustic Ham And Spinach Pie Recipes

HAM AND SPINACH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until transparent, 6-8 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir until mushrooms are browned, about 6 minutes longer. Add spinach; cook until heated through., In a microwave, melt remaining butter; stir until smooth. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush with butter. Layer with 3 additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer. Transfer to a lightly greased 11x7-in. baking dish, letting ends extend up sides. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.), Layer dish with ham, cheese and spinach mixture; pour eggs over filling. If desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with remaining phyllo dough. Fold dough ends over filling; pinch edges to seal. Brush with remaining butter. Cut slits in the top. Bake until browned, 40-45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes before cutting.

SPINACH AND HAM PIE

Steps:

• To make the pastry, combine the butter and cream cheese in a food processor or standing mixer. Process until combined. Add the cream and process until combined. Add the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and process until just combined and a ball forms. Turn it out onto a floured surface, divide into 2 pieces, and form into discs. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the spinach in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the leaves are wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set in a colander to drain until cooled. Squeeze it dry and chop; you should have 2 cups.
• Meanwhile, place the olive oil and onion in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 2 of the eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the remaining salt, and the pepper. Stir in the spinach, onion, and ham, if desired.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the dough edge to hang 1/4 inch over the sides. Spread the spinach mixture evenly over dough. Roll out the second piece of dough and drape over the spinach. Trim the dough to hang over the bottom crust by 1/2 inch. Fold the top crust over and inside the bottom.
• Using your fingers, crimp the dough to seal. Cut a few vents in the top. Beat the remaining egg with a little water and brush lightly over the pie. Bake the pie for 1 hour or until it is golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

LUCINDA'S SPINACH AND HAM PIE

Steps:

• Make the pastry: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter and cream cheese. Process until combined. Add cream, and pulse to combine. Add the flour and salt, and pulse just until a ball forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times. Divide dough in half, pat each half into a disc, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Place the spinach in a very large pot over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook, stirring once or twice, until spinach wilts, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pot, and set aside to cool. Squeeze dry, wringing out the cooked spinach in cheesecloth (there should be 2 cups), and coarsely chop.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent but not brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat to cool briefly.
• In a large bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Add ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper; mix to combine. Stir in the spinach and onions. Add ham; stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to a 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch glass pie plate, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edge of the plate. Trim edges to 1/2 inch. Spread spinach mixture evenly into pie plate. On a lightly floured surface, roll out second disc of dough to a 13-inch circle. Transfer to top of the pie. Trim top crust to overlap the bottom by 1/4 inch. Fold top crust over bottom, and crimp edges together with your fingers. Cut a few small vents. Beat the remaining egg with a few drops of water, and brush over surface of pie. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.