So. Much. Spinach.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before… We just harvested the end of the spinach. So much spinach. But actually, not so much that I feel compelled to blanch and freeze it. A mountain of spinach shrinks to nothing after blanching. So we’re cooking and eating spinach this week. All week long, starting with this Spinach, Feta, and Rice Pie.
We can do this!
I used to make this dish for Scott and Stephie when I was living in Pittsburgh in my twenties. They were vegetarians at the time, and this dish was (and is!) so hearty and flavorful. Some favorite recipes fall out of favor over time, but not this one. This Spinach, Feta, and Rice Pie has continued to evolve throughout the many chapters of my life. The chopped dill and scallions bring a freshness that’s just so lush.
You may want to avoid sprinkling the cheese all the way to the edge of the pie. Leaving the edge uncovered exposes some of the rice, and a bit of crunchy rice along the edges is not a bad thing. Not quite as satisfying as socarrat, but you get the idea. Crunchy, salty, creamy – yes, Spinach, Feta, and Rice Pie is all of that.
Spinach, Feta, and Rice Pie
Ingredients
- 2 T butter
- 1/2 large sweet onion
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- 3 eggs
- 7 ounces feta cheese
- 2 T AP flour (King Arthur Measure for Measure)
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 t pepper
- 1 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 2 cups long grain wild and brown rice (cooked)
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep the ingredients – Preheat the oven to 400℉, convection bake setting. Chop the onion. Blanch and chop the spinach. Separate the yolk from the whites of two of the eggs, and beat the egg whites together with the third egg. Crumble the feta. Set aside. (You can save the extra yolks for something else.)
- Make the roux and combine the ingredients – Cook the onion in the oil until soft, then stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring to ensure that you have a smooth roux. Bring to a simmer and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly, until slightly thick. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked rice, crumbled feta, eggs, dill, scallions, and spinach.
- Bake – Pour the mixture into a greased pie plate. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the pie, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until set.
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