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……scrambled, poached, fried, boiled, coddled, omelettes, souffle, cakes, frittatas, quiche….and the list goes on. I’d love to say I have freshly laid ones from our hen coop in our backyard, however, the slope of our site does not allow for this and our Ridgeback, Jessica would have a field day.  It seems to become more common as 3 of my friends and of course, my sister in Israel have gone down this path with great success.  I received some fresh eggs the other day and used them in a variation of the Spinach and Feta Pie. Rice has been added for extra carbohydrate, as I have a half marathon looming in two week’s time and I want all the help I can get.

SPINACH RICE & TWO CHEESE PIE

I always use ‘Mersey Valley Vintage Cheddar’ – very crumbly, smooth and intense flavour.  Have tried other cheddars, but not as good a result.  This recipe makes quite a ‘spinachy’ pie.  For a larger pie, increase rice and eggs.

ingredients 

2 bunches fresh spinach, finely chopped or 1 block of frozen leaf spinach

½ cup cooked brown rice (or basmati, if you prefer white)

125g fetta, crumbled

125g strong cheddar, crumbled

4 eggs

1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 2 tsp dried)

1 Tbsp pine nuts (toasted, if prefer)

½ tsp nutmeg

cracked black pepper

sesame seeds (I use a mix of black and white)

6 sheets filo pastry

oil/melted butter

preparation 

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease an oven-proof dish (I use a round, 24cm ceramic one ) with oil.
  2. Steam spinach and press out excess water, allow to cool slightly, then add rice and season with pepper.
  3. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients together and add spinach & rice mixture.
  4. Line dish with the 6 sheets of filo, alternating each piece in different directions.  Brush each with melted butter/oil if wish (I use an extra virgin cold pressed olive oil spray).
  5. Pour in spinach and egg mixture and spread evenly. Tuck in filo edges and brush with oil/melted butter.
  6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until set and lightly brown on top.

Shared goodness from Donna