I have tried my hands at baking spinach and cheese pie as well as triangles many times before. Just recently, I came to learn from a friend that adding tahini (sesame seed paste) would enhance the flavour of the pie. So a few days ago, I reinvented my spinach and cheese pie by adding tahini. I must say that adding the paste gave some depth to the flavour. Since tahini is used in Middle Eastern, Greek and Turkish cuisine, I have named the pie ‘Exotic Spinach and Cheese Pie’ in order not to confuse it with the standard pie. You may also be interested in trying out my Spinach and Three Cheeses Pie which is also special as the three kinds of cheeses create a complex cheesy flavour. As an after thought, adding some fish stock to the pie mixture would have enhanced the taste further. I have added this to the ingredients list for this recipe although I didn’t use it in my pie.
Ingredients
3 sheets filo pastry
1 onion, sliced
100g fresh spinach
1 packet, frozen spinach
10g margarine, melted
250g ricotta cheese
1/2 cup vintage cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp fish stock
cooking oil
pepper
1 tbsp chia seeds
Method
1. Grease casserole with melted margarine.
2. Heat oil in a pan and caramalise onions.
3. Heat frozen spinach in a microwave. Set aside to cool.
4. In a big bowl, mix both types of spinach, ricotta, grated cheddar and 1 whisked egg. Add tahini, fish stock and pepper to the mixture.
5. Place 1 filo sheet at the bottom and sides of the casserole and spread the caramalised onions on it.
6. Pour the mixture from the bowl and even it out.
7. Add the last filo sheet on top and fold in the sides.
8. Glaze the top with egg wash.
9. Sprinkle the top with chia seeds.
9. Bake the pie at 180 degrees for 50 mins.
I use Mainland Vintage cheddar for its sharp flavour. The ricotta will balance out the overall cheesy taste. For an added twist, I sprinkled chia seeds for added texture and of course to take advantage of its nutritional value. It’s best to let the pie cool after removing it from the oven before serving. It is quite an easy dish to prepare despite the grating of the cheddar. Enjoy!