Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Pie with Thyme, Sumac and Pumpkin Seeds

When it comes to baking, I'm still at beginner level :(   However, I am working hard to hone my skills :) To quote Cake Boss, "cooking is a passion, baking is a science". I baked this delicious pie with a little help from my mother who gave me the French pie pastry (flour, butter, vinegar, yeast, warm water) which I rolled out and laid on the baking pan.

It's a delicious savoury pie which is baked in less than an hour and will certainly disappear in less than 10 minutes :) A real treat.

Type of cuisine: European/Fusion


Time: 10 minutes preparation time (without the French pastry); 45 minutes baking time. 

You will need:

250 gr ricotta cheese

2 (pref free-range) eggs

a 250g bag of fresh spinach

2 pinches of freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch of salt

2 tsp of thyme

1 tsp of sumac

Decorate with 

fresh mozzarella cheese

pumpkin seeds

linseeds 

Method

Break the two eggs and beat them as if to make an omelette. Season with pepper, salt, thyme and sumac. Incorporate the ricotta and mix lightly using a silicone spoon.

Boil the spinach, drain and let cool.

Grease the pan with butter, cover in flour and lay the pastry. Pour the ricotta-&-egg mixture in the pan and take the spinach leaf by leaf and lay them on top.

Grate fresh mozzarella cheese over the spinach, sprinkle a handful of pumpkin seeds, and use the linseeds to decorate the ends of the pie.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 150 degrees C.

I loved it. It was so rich, smooth and tasty, you won't know what has hit you when you take a first bite, really.  It had everything I like in any dish: it was healthy and at the same time yummy: it was smooth but also crunchy. 

I will definitely make it again, maybe with asparagus for a change. 

Suggestions for serving

This delicious pie can be paired with a glass of cold milk or savoury lassi with cumin, salt and lime juice.  For a more formal occasion (or not!) it would go down very well with a glass of chardonnay. Mike had it with a Romanian Riesling from Recas, and declared that there was nothing wrong with it! :)