Spinach Pie

As featured in Holiday 2023 issue of The Applegatarian.

"My family is Albanian on both sides, and I grew up eating this savory pie all the time. It was always part of our holiday meals and throughout the year. My mother's mom died very young, and my mom Polly took over making it when she was just a teenager, and she's been making it ever since.

The dough is very easy to pull together, and the method of rolling it creates all the flaky layers. My mother believes the secret to a good dough is the water, so when she moved in with us from her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, she brought jugs of water with her!

Using city water for better dough is still up for debate with our friends and family. The pie can also be filled with different ingredients. When I was kid, my grandmother on my father's side used many things from her home garden to fill her pies-spinach, scallions, and summer squash were among my favorites. My husband loves it filled with sauteed sauerkraut, onion, and paprika, while my son prefers the spinach."

- Leah Pires, Applegate Vice President of Human Resources

Leah Pires, Applegate Vice President Of Human Resources And Her Mom

The Applegatarian, an outlet where employees and advocates of the nation’s leading natural and organic meat brand dish about their favorite recipes, tips, products, partners and more.

Serves 6-8 | Total Time: Less Than 60 Mins

Ingredients

For the dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon corn oil
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

For the filling:

8 ounces fresh spinach
1 (16-ounce) container whole milk cottage cheese
6 to 8 large eggs
2 to 4 tablespoons plain yogurt 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 heaping tablespoon
all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped white onions

Instructions

To make the dough, combine the flour, water, corn oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with a dough hook until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Divide the dough evenly into 2 balls.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 ball out into a large thin circle. Spread 2 tablespoons of the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into 6 to 8 strips. Roll up each strip (like a pinwheel). Stack the rolled strips on top of each other to create 1 ball again. Let rest while you repeat this with the remaining ball of dough and 2 more tablespoons of butter. Let rest, loosely covered, while you make the filling.
To make the filling, wash the spinach well, then spin dry and chop. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, yogurt, milk, butter, flour, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the chopped spinach and onions. The mixture should be similar to a quiche filling, not too thick and not too loose.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a large flat baking dish (either an 18-inch round pizza pan or a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet).
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the dough balls into a large, very thin round (about 19 inches, if using an 18-inch round pan; about 13 by 18 inches, if using a rectangular baking sheet). Transfer the dough to the buttered baking pan. Pour the spinach filling into the pan and spread out evenly.
Roll out the second ball of dough as you did the first, then lay it over the filling. Seal the edges by rolling the bottom dough up over the top and twisting the doughs together. Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over the top of the dough.
Bake until dough is puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes (start watching closely at 30 minutes so it does not overbake). Lift up the bottom of the pie with a spatula-the bottom should be light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting into squares to serve.