Italian Spinach Pie is one of my favorite luncheon dishes. It also makes a wonderful appetizer for any meal. Not really that difficult to prepare, it can last a week in the refrigerator and can be reheated in an oven, so as to taste freshly made.
In Italy, it is known as torta Pasqualina, with origins in Liguria, because it is often made at Easter. (For a historical look, click here.) My version varies somewhat from the typical Italian recipe. First of all, I use phyllo dough for the crust (which is more traditional in Greece) because I love its flakiness and also the fact that it saves having to make pastry. (You could substitute frozen puff pastry, if you like.) In addition, I eliminate the use of cooked egg yolks. I don’t believe the dish needs them, and also they do not reheat well.
Thaw the frozen phyllo overnight in the refrigerator. Bring it (still wrapped) to room temperature, while you prepare the recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°.
Most recipes for Italian Spinach Pie ask for the use of frozen spinach. I don’t understand this at all. It basically saves no time, and to my palate, it gives an overcooked reheated taste to everything. Also, with the availability of packaged prewashed spinach, what is the point of using the frozen variety?
I choose bags of baby spinach or small-leaf spinach for their tenderness.
Fresh spinach.
You’ll need 30 ounces for this recipe—generally three 10-ounce bags.
Wash the spinach, and drain off as much water as possible.
Wash the spinach.
Place the spinach in a large pot and cook it over medium heat.
Cook the spinach.
Stir the spinach constantly, cooking just until its wilted. Do not overcook it.
Cook just until wilted.
You may find it easier to do this in three batches. Drain the spinach. When it is cool enough to handle, grab a handful and squeeze out as much water as possible. Then chop it.
Squeeze out the water and chop.
Chop the onion finely. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook the onion until softened. Do not let it brown. Combine the onion with the chopped spinach.
Add the cooked onion.
Add whole-milk ricotta, grated Parmigiano, and nutmeg.
Add the ricotta and Parmigiano.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Season the spinach with salt and pepper, and taste it at this time to determine the desired amount. I find you need to over salt slightly.
Beat the eggs and stir them into the spinach-ricotta mixture.
Add the beaten eggs.
Add 2-4 tablespoons of heavy cream, depending on how dry your filling is. This is also nontraditional, but I like a moist and creamy filling. If you decide you would like the cooked egg yolks, make six yolk-sixed wells in the spinach mixture, and carefully place a yolk in each well.
Melt the butter, and brush it in a 9 x 9-inch pan. Unwrap the phyllo and cover the sheets with damp paper towels to prevent them from drying out.
Keep the phyllo damp.
Carefully remove one sheet of phyllo and place it in the prepared pan with any excess dough hanging over the side. Brush it liberally with melted butter. Don’t be concerned if the sheet tears a bit.
Butter each phyllo sheet.
Take another sheet and place it in the opposite direction of the first sheet. Brush it with melted butter. Continue this process with 6-8 more sheets, depending on how thick you wish the crust to be.
Spoon the spinach into the phyllo-lined pan. Take the overhanging phyllo, one sheet at a time, brushing each sheet with butter, and fold it over the filling.
Cover the spinach with the phyllo overhang.
You may want to place one more sheet over the top to make it more attractive. Be sure to butter the final sheet.
Butter the last phyllo sheet.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or more until the top is a deep golden color.
Baked Italian Spinach Pie.
Let the Italian Spinach Pie rest a few minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Refrigerate any leftovers, then reheat slices in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes. They will recrisp perfectly.
