Spinacea oleracea, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . . In dips and salads, in smoothies and soups, in curries and spanakopita, in wraps and . . . Pie!
Yup, me and spinach, we love each other – well, maybe it’s only a one-way love affair, but it’s passionate nonetheless. So, it being early spring – the best time to get local spinach – I obviously wanted to feature my beloved leafy green.
Spinach contains more protein than other leafy greens and is chalk full of tons of vitamins (A, B, C, K) and minerals (phosphorous, iodine, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron). It is important to note that spinach looses certain minerals in the cooking process – calcium, for example – so make sure to eat plenty of raw spinach in wraps, smoothies and salads.
Make sure to clean spinach well before using (yes, even that “triple washed” clamshell kind) and always – ALWAYS – buy organic. I’m not super diligent about organic for everything, but conventional spinach is notoriously sprayed with all kinds of nasty things, so organic is a must. And as always buy local whenever possible!
Spinach can be thrown into just about anything – toss some baby leaves into your next salad, blend it along with fruit and berries for an extra nutritious smoothie, toss it in to any soup, stew or curry in the last few minutes of cooking, or you can even use a big leaf as a wrap, filling it with hummus and your favourite veggies.
Clearly, what's not to love?
When I started work on this week’s recipe, I knew I wanted to make a vegan quiche that didn’t dress tofu up as eggs, and of course when I thought quiche I thought spinach. I came up with two drastically different takes on the concept and I couldn’t decide which I liked better, so I have decided to share two recipes with you this week: Italian Spinach Pie & West Indian Spinach Pie.
The Italian take, has a creamy sauce and is bursting with some of my favourite things – fresh basil, cremini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes – while the West Indian version has a sweet coconut curry twist and a gorgeous orange colour.
For the crust I used the “Flaky Pie Crust” from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s The Joy Of Vegan Baking, omitting the sugar, but you can use any pie crust you fancy. I do highly recommend Ms. Patrick-Goudreau’s crust though, so go pick up her book! (I also just highly recommend her in general, so if you don’t know her check her out!).
Here are the recipes and the more recipe specific notes:
Italian Spinach Pie
1 prepared, pre-baked (or blind baked) pie crust
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium leek, sliced lengthwise and chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
2 tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance soy-free)
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 scant cup almond milk, or nondairy milk of your choice
1 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
4 - 4 1/2 cups spinach leaves
4 sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 425º
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic, and sauté until the leeks begin to soften and the mixture become fragrant, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid, another 3 - 4 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium-large pot melt the margarine over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly for 5 minutes until you have a thick amber brown mixture (this is called roux and acts as a thickener). Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly to combine until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and basil, stir. Raise heat to medium and continue to stir the mixture. Give the sauce a few minutes to heat up, then begin to add the basil and spinach in large handfuls. After each handful, stir the greens to incorporate into the sauce and allow them to begin to wilt before adding the next handful.
After adding the final handful of greens, remove the pot from the heat and continue to stir while the last of the greens wilts. Add the mushroom mixture and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir until they are well incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.
Put the pie in the oven and cook for 25 - 30 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and the filling appears firm on top.
Let stand 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
Notes:
- This pie's filling is very creamy, so it is really important that you pre-bake the crust or the bottom of the crust will not bake properly.
- You could use white button mushrooms if you prefer, but they won't provide the same wonderfully earthy flavour that you get from cremini or baby bella's.
West Indian Spinach Pie
1 prepared pie crust (you can pre-bake this one too, but it is not essential like in the last recipe)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 (170g) box coconut cream
1 - 2 tbsp indian curry paste
1 - 2 tbsp almond milk, or other nondairy milk
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 - 4 1/2 cups spinach leaves
1 cup cooked chickpeas or red lentils
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 425º
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, and sauté until the onions become soft and translucent.
Add the coconut cream and curry paste and stir constantly until the cream has soften and all the ingredients have combined into a paste. stir in the milk, using just enough to thin the mixture slightly, you do not want to make it runny!
Add the Spinach in large handfuls. After each handful, stir the spinach to incorporate into the sauce and allow it to begin to wilt before adding the next handful. Once all the spinach is combine add the cilantro, beans, salt and pepper, stir to incorporate and remove from heat. Fill the prepared pie crust with the mixture.
Put the pie in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, until the crust and filling is nicely browned.
Let stand 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
Notes:
- Coconut cream is different from coconut milk, but it can be found next to the coconut milk in most well-stocked grocery stores and in specialty markets.
- If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute another cooking oil (such as canola, olive or sunflower) but the coconut oil is really what gives this sweet curry its West Indian flare.
Enjoy!!
Veg Jenski xo
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