Hi, Dianncy1964, Here's the Spinach Pie you asked me to post>>>

A

aajay

Well-known member
Louise’s Spinach Pie

My mother made this recipe often in the 30s and 40s. It was a favorite snack for my brothers and me. Both my sons are addicted also. I have never seen it in print in any Italian cookbook. I've also only met one person in my 82 years who had even heard of it, besides my family, of course. So, here's to you,Mom!

Filling

4 10 oz pkgs. fresh or frozen spinach or mixture

2 cans anchovies with oil, chopped (trust me)

1 can pitted black olives, coarsely chopped

1 or more chopped garlic cloves

2 or more T. olive oil

black pepper

1 tsp. capers if using flat anchovies (optional)

Steam or microwave spinach till wilted. Drain thoroughly, pressing out excess moisture and chop coarsely. Soften garlic in oil but do not brown. Add spinach and turn in oil over low heat to coat and further evaporate moisture. Add anchovies and olives and mix thoroughly. Season liberally with black pepper. Let cool and fill pastry lined pan. Cover with second round and cut slits for steam to escape. Bake in 400 degree oven on bottom shelf until crust is nicely browned, about 45 minutes. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature. (Amount of anchovies, olives and garlic may be adjusted to taste, but do try to use some anchovy, even if you think you don’t like the flavor)

Pastry

3 c flour

1 c shortening or lard or mixture

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

8 to 10 T. ice water to form dough

Mix as usual, chill dough, divide in half and roll out two rounds for 9 inch layer cake pan. Alternative: use frozen crust or mixes. Also makes two large calzones using 2 c bread dough recipe. ( you can use bought crusts but they all have some sugar in them and I just don't like that taste with the spinach)

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THANK YOU SO MUCH~ I already have this now planned for my Thanksgiving menu ~ most appreciated smileys/smile.gif

 
I have! My grandparents are from Latzio-just south of Rome and they make..

these sorts of "pies".

I just saw a similar one made on TV (Lidia I think) made with escarole and all of your other ingredients.

We also made a similar two crust "pizza" with spinach boiled, squeezed and sauteed with garlic as a filling. Depending on preferences, some added hot pepper flakes, and/or a few raisins--sounds wierd, but is delicious.

 
Another variation--REC: Fried Stuffed Britches---Cazuncielli...

FRIED STUFFED BRITCHES---CAZUNCIELLI

CRUST:
1/4 cup light red or white wine -- such as Fiano del Avellino
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 ounces yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 pound escarole -- about 1/2 head, cut into 1/4-inch ciffonade
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic -- thinly sliced
4 salt packed anchovies -- filleted and rinsed twice
1 cup Gaeta olives -- pitted and left whole
3 tablespoons capers -- smallest available, rinsed
4 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons currants
olive oil -- for frying

For the crust: In a large bowl, combine wine, water and yeast and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt and olive oil and mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup of flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of flour and stir with the spoon for another 2 to 3 minutes, to incorporate as much of the flour as possible. Bring the dough together with your hands and turn it out onto a floured board or marble surface. Knead for about 6 to 8 minutes, until you have made a firm, smooth dough. Place it in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl and cover it with a towel. Let it rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.
For the filling: Bring 4 quarts of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Plunge the escarole into the water and cook 12 to 14 minutes, until very tender. Remove, refresh with cold water, press intensely to remove all possible water, and set aside. In a 10 to 12 inch saute pan, heat oil until smoking. Add garlic and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until light golden brown. Add the anchovies, olives, capers, pine nuts, currants and cooked escarole and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until all ingredients are well mixed and escarole has started to turn brownish-gray. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove a golf ball-sized piece of dough from the batch. Press the ball with your fingers to form a circle about 5 inches across. Repeat this process with all of the dough. Place 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each dough circle and fold into half moons, pressing with the tines of a fork around all the edges to close the well.
In a high-sided frying pan, heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Drop 2 or 3 half moons into the oil at a time and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove to drain on paper towels and season immediately with fresh ground pepper.

 
REC: Torta Verde...Colman Andrews/Flavors of the Riviera...

Torta Verde

Recipe By :Colman Andrews/Flavors of the Riviera
Serving Size : 8

Ligurian Pastry Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup warm water

Oil -- for finishing

Filling:
2 pounds baking potatoes
1 small onion -- finely chopped
1 pound Chard Leaves -- or spinach, chopped
1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
4 large eggs
1 pound Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Romano Cheese
Salt and pepper

1 Large Round Baking Pan Such as a Pizza Pan, Well Oiled

1. For the dough, place flour, salt and baking powder in bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade and pulse to mix. Add oil and pulse to mix in. Add water and pulse until dough forms a ball. Let processor run for about 10 seconds to knead dough. Remove dough from work bowl, divide in half and wrap each piece separately and refrigerate while preparing filling.

2. For the filling, peel and quarter the potatoes. Cut 1/2-inch thick and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover pan. Allow potatoes to stand for 10 minutes.

3. For the filling, combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drain the potatoes and stir them in. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the lowest level.

5. To assemble the Torta, oil a large baking pan, such as a round pizza pan. Roll half the dough and line the pan. Spread the filling on the dough. Roll remaining dough and place over filling. Trim excess dough from edge of pie and seal edges. Brush top crust with oil and bake for about 1 hour, or until the filling is set and the dough is baked through.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield:
"1 16-inch pie"

NOTES : This is a typical Ligurian vegetable pie. It may be served as part of an elaborate selection of antipasti, or as a first or main course, depending on the meal. This is loosely based on a recipe in Colman Andrews' Flavors of the Riviera. If you don't have chard, use young, tender spinach.

 
I'm on a "roll"---REC: Pizza di Scarola with Gaeta Olives & Caciocavallo...

Pizza di Scarola with Gaeta Olives and Caciocavallo

Recipe By :Erica De Mane
Serving Size : 6

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour -- plus a little extra for rolling the dough out
1 pinch salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup dry white wine -- at room temperature or at least not ice-cold
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the filling:
2 pounds escarole -- (2 large heads) trimmed, chopped into bite-size pieces, and well washed
1 large garlic clove -- minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A few scrapings of nutmeg
A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
A large handful of pine nuts -- lightly toasted
A small handful of golden raisins
3/4 cup grated Caciocavallo cheese
1/2 cup black olives -- (about) preferably Gaetas, pitted and roughly chopped
1 large egg

To make the dough, start by placing the flour in a shallow bowl. Add a generous amount of salt, and stir it in to distribute it well. Place the egg, white wine, and olive oil in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to blend everything. Pour this onto the flour, and mix with your fork until you have a crumbly but rather moist mass. Now knead it briefly with your hands to form a ball. (This should take only about 3 minutes. This is not like pasta dough, where you want to knead it a long time to develop elasticity; this dough will cook up slightly flaky.) Divide the dough into two, making one section slightly larger than the other. Wrap both pieces in plastic, and let them rest, unrefrigerated, for about an hour (this will make them easier to roll out).

While the dough is resting, set up a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the escarole, and blanch it for about 2 minutes. Drain it into a colander, and run cold water over it to stop the cooking and to preserve its bright green color. When it is cold, squeeze all the water out of it with your hands (you want it really dry so your tart doesn't cook up soggy). Place the escarole in a mixing bowl, and add all the other ingredients for the filling. Mix well to make sure the egg and everything else is evenly distributed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle a little flour on a work surface and roll out the larger piece of dough until you have a large, more or less round shape about 12 inches across. Trim the edges to make it still rounder. You'll probably need to sprinkle a little flour over the dough to prevent it from sticking, although olive-oil dough is pretty easy to roll out, since it's so oily. Brush a pizza pan (or sheet pan) with olive oil and place the dough round on it. Roll out the other piece in the same fashion, but make it about an inch smaller. Pour the filling onto the large round, and spread it out to about an inch from the edge. Place the smaller round on top, trimming the edges, if necessary, to neaten it up. Brush the edge of the larger round with water and pull it up over the top, making little folds all around to form a ruffly edge (it will look something like the edge of an American pie crust), pressing to seal it while you do. Make a few small air vents in the top with a thin knife, and brush the whole thing lightly with olive oil. You will now have something that looks like a flying saucer.

Bake until the tart is golden brown all over, about 35 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving (this will allow you to slice it more cleanly). To serve, just cut it into pie-shaped wedges of any width you like.

 
REC: Focaccia all Barese (Christmas Eve Onion Pie from Bari)...

Focaccia all Barese (Christmas Eve Onion Pie from Bari)

Recipe By :Nick Malgieri

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -- unbleached
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water -- about 110 degrees
4 tablespoons olive oil
Topping:
4 tablespoons olive oil -- plus more for sprinkling the top of the focaccia before baking
3 medium white onions -- (about 2 pounds) peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (3 to 4)
a little salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 2-ounce can anchovies -- packed in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup black olives -- (Gaeta) halved and pitted
1/3 cup green olives -- (Barese) halved and pitted
1 teaspoon Kosher salt -- or other coarse salt for drizzling the top of the focaccia before baking

One 10 x 15 x 1-inch jellyroll pan brushed with
3 Tablespoons Olive oil

1. For the dough, stir together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the yeast into the water and then whisk in the oil. Use a large rubber spatula to mix the liquid into the flour. Continue stirring vigorously until the dough is fairly smooth and there are no longer any dry patches. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour.

2. While the dough is rising, cook the onions. Put the 4 tablespoons oil and onions in a wide sauté pan and place over medium heat. Season very lightly with salt (the anchovies and olives are both salty) and grind over about 5 or 6 turns of the peppermill. Once the onions start to sizzle, decrease the heat to low and cook until the onions are very soft and translucent, about 20 to 30 minutes. Scrape the onions into a bowl and set aside to cool.

3. When the dough has risen, scrape it into the prepared pan in one piece. Lightly oil your hands and press the dough into the pan to cover it completely. If the dough resists, wait 5 minutes, then pull the dough into the corners of the pan. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and set it aside until it puffs a little, about 20 to 30 minutes. (It does not need to double in bulk.)

4. As soon as you cover the dough, set a rack in the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

5. When the dough has puffed, use a fingertip to indent it at 1 1/2-inch intervals all over the surface, pressing firmly but without piercing the dough through to the bottom of the pan.

6. Mix the anchovies and olives into the onions and spoon the topping in mounds all over the top of the dough. Use a medium offset spatula to gently and evenly spread the topping on the dough. Drizzle the topping with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with the Kosher or coarse salt.

7. Bake the focaccia until it is well risen and the bottom is well colored, about 30 minutes. Lift a corner of the focaccia with a large metal spatula to check that the bottom is well done.

8. Use a wide metal spatula to slide the focaccia from the pan to a rack to cool.

Variations: You can also make a plain focaccia from this recipe by omitting the onion topping and baking it with just a drizzle of oil and a sprinkling of coarse salt. Or you can add a couple of tablespoons of stemmed and chopped fresh rosemary to the flour before adding the liquid and finish with just the oil and salt.

Tomato-Topped Focaccia: (Focaccia Al Pomodoro)
This is a focaccia with just a hint of tomato, not a full-scale tomato pizza. Substitute 2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes, either fresh or well drained canned, for the onion topping, above. Scatter 2 cloves of garlic cut into thin slices all over the tomatoes and add some pitted black olives if you like. Finish with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkling of salt, as above.

Filled Ham and Cheese Focaccia (Focaccia Ripiena Di Prosciutto e Formaggio)
After you spread the dough on the pan, cover half of it with about 4 ounces of prosciutto, shredded into 1/2-inch pieces, and 4 ounces of coarsely grated or chopped mozzarella. Sprinkle the ham and cheese with 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling and give it a quarter turn so that the longest edge of the dough is in the length of the pan. Press it back to the original size of the pan. You will probably need to wait 5 or 10 minutes to get the dough to cover the pan evenly. Cover the dough as in the recipe above and let it puff. Dimple it and sprinkle with oil and salt. Bake as above.

Yield:
"1 10 x 15-inch pie, about 15 3-inch squares"
- - - - - - -
NOTES : It’s traditional to serve this for Christmas Eve in Bari, though it is equally good at any time of the year.

 
That's an interesting assortment of similar dishes. Mom did cook

escarole with olives, anchovies and garlic but for some reason she never put it into a pie. Using raisins in savory dishes such as meatballs or in this case, escarole, was reputed to be a Sicilian custom of no interest to my Marche father.

 
A friend's family from Bari make whitefish pie (torte)--they flour and fry whole..

whiting (merloots); pick out all the bones and layer the fish with sauteed onion that are done with a little tomato; floured and fried cauliflower, slice green olives and a bit of pepper flakes. For the double crust they use a pizzalike dough lightened with bit of mashed boiled potato.

 
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