Torte Verde (Spinach Pie)

This may seem complex and convoluted but it's easy as... well... pie, and well worth the effort!

Italian Pastry Dough

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Add oil, mix together with fork. Using 1 Tbsp at a time, sprinkle in up to ½ c. water, mixing til dough just holds together.
Knead til smooth and elastic. Make ball. Cover with damp cloth and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Put washed spinach in a colander. Sprinkle with 1½ Tbsp salt. Toss to mix and set aside to drain 20 minutes.
Mix cheese, parsley, marjoram, garlic and egg in a bowl. Add potato and onion; season with salt and pepper.
Squeeze out the spinach with your hands til it is quite dry. Discard juice; add spinach to potato mix. Mix in 1½ Tbsp oil and set aside.

Turn on oven to 375F. Lightly oil and flour 14 inch pizza pan. Divide dough into 2 balls - two thirds of the dough is for the bottom crust, 1/3 for the top. On a floured surface, roll out dough for bottom crust to about 15 inches in diameter, then use pan as a template to cut to right size. Put the bottom crust in the pan.
Spread filling evenly to 1 inch from edge.
Roll out top crust; place on top filling. Crimp the edges to seal. With fork; pierce the top surface several times. Make indentations with fingers. Drizzle with remaining 1½ Tbsp oil.
Bake til golden about 35 minutes.

based on a recipe in SAVEUR magazine May/Jun 1998

Spinach prepared this way is excellent on pizza or in an omelette.

Pastry & Fillings:
Apple Pie . Apple Tarts . Apricot . Berry . Cherry . Lemon . Mincemeat - Mom's . Mincemeat - vegetarian . Pecan . Plum . Pumpkin . Strudel (Cherry) . Strudel (Peach) . Beef & Mushroom . Prune Onion Blue Cheese Tart . Sausage Rolls . Spinach . Tourtiere . Pastry

Italian dishes:
Basil Pesto . Borlotti (Cranberry Beans) Pasta Sauce . Eggplant Pepper Antipasto (hot) . Eggplant Antipasto . Eggplant Lasagne . Focaccia . Fresh Pasta . Manicotti . Pan Bigio (bread) . Pane Francese (bread) . Pasta with Hot Chillies & Broccoli . Pasta with Hot Chillies & Tomatoes . Pizza . Spaghettini with mint pesto . Tomato Sauce . Torte Verde (Spinach Pie)