I invented this dish on the spur of the moment to have something to snack on while we finished decorating the porch for the trick or treaters. It had to be salty, to offset the Halloween candy we had already begun nibbling on. I reviewed what was in the refrigerator. What stood out was spinach. Oh, yeah, and I wanted something warm, because it's chilly today. Hmmm, we had feta cheese. What does it take to make a spanakopita?
Googling recipes is my favorite source of inspiration. I rarely go to one site and follow their recipe. I prefer to average. In this case, I changed my search terms when I realized "spanakopita" wasn't going to help me deal with the leftover short-grain brown rice I planned to use to make the crust. Neither did "spinach pie." "Spinach pie with rice crust" brought me right there.
Spanakopita is traditionally made with feta. I voted for the creamier recipes, just to take the chill off. I had been sitting in my underheated home for hours, writing on the computer. (No, not for you, dear readers.) Getting up and making a quick casserole before attacking the porch sounded like a great idea.
Hooray! It was. This is one of those dishes that leaves you a lot of latitude if you don't strive for authenticity. Which this recipe doesn't. The dish might rather resemble a comfort food from the seventies, when cheese was the preferred replacement for meat and brown rice was all the rage. The spinach and ricotta keep the rice moist. The ingredients blend together as they cook. It's a nice, layered, custardy treat. Pair it with candy corn.
SPINACH PIE WITH BROWN RICE CRUST
serves 9 as a snack, 4 as a light lunch
for the crust:
2 cups cooked brown rice (preferably short-grain rice, slightly sticky)
for the filling:
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 - 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the spinach according to directions until just thawed. Drain but do not squeeze.
Meanwhile, saute onion in olive oil until soft.
Combine spinach, onions and lemon, and set aside to cool.
Oil an 8 by 8 baking dish. Dump the rice into the dish and press it along the bottom and sides to form a crust. (Note: Wet your hands and the rice won't stick to them.)
Combine eggs and cheeses in a mixing bowl. Add spinach mixture. Add a dash of nutmeg and a little black pepper. Combine thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into the crust and smooth till level. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg for color.
Bake 45 minutes until firm. Serve.
BOO!
