Spinach and cheese flower pie

Spinach and cheese flower pie browns in the oven, with a soft filling in the middle and flaky pastry around the edges. It’s a picnic pie with spinach, fresh cow’s cheese, telemea (Romanian brined cheese) and cașcaval (Romanian semi-hard cheese), cut into 12 portions. I choose tender spinach leaves and remove the thick stems. Prep: 40 minutes. Cook: 72 minutes. Rest: 60 minutes. Total time: 172 minutes. Serves: 8. About 485 kcal and 20 g protein per serving.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 600 g flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 g dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 240 ml lukewarm water
- 1 egg
- 150 g yogurt
- 3 tablespoons oil
For the filling
- 500 g fresh spinach with stems (about 300 g trimmed)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 100 g telemea (Romanian brined cheese)
- 80 g grated cașcaval (Romanian semi-hard cheese) or Parmesan
- 250 g fresh cow’s cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg white
For brushing
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon white and black sesame seeds
Preparation
1. Put the sifted flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the middle, add the yeast, sugar and 4 tablespoons of the 240 ml warm water. Mix the yeast mixture and leave it for 10 minutes. 2. Beat the egg with the yogurt and pour them over the flour. Work in the flour from the sides, add the oil and gradually pour in the remaining 180 ml water. Knead for 8 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. 3. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough to rise for 40 minutes in a warm place. 4. Cut the spinach into strips. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and sauté it for 2 minutes, until wilted. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes, then drain off the liquid well. 5. Grate the telemea and cașcaval. Mix them with the fresh cow’s cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg. Beat the large egg with the egg white and fold them into the filling. 6. Divide the dough in two. Roll out one piece to about 30 cm, cut it out using a lid as a guide and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Arrange the filling in a circle, 2-3 cm from the edge, and put a few spoonfuls in the middle. 7. Roll out the second piece slightly larger than the first and place it on top. Press the dough together where there is no filling to seal the two layers. Put a small bowl in the middle and cut the pie into 12 equal parts with a very sharp knife. 8. Mix the egg yolk with the milk, brush the pie and sprinkle with the flax and sesame seeds. Bake at 180°C for 60 minutes, until golden. Lower the temperature to 160°C and bake for another 10 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through underneath.
Notes
Baby spinach is quick to clean, while mature spinach needs its fibrous stems removed. Telemea varies a lot in saltiness; if yours is very salty, reduce the added salt in the filling. If the fresh cow’s cheese has whey on the surface, leave it to drain before mixing. The pie keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be taken along to a picnic cold. You can serve it with sliced tomatoes or a simple tomato salad. The cașcaval can be replaced with the same amount of Parmesan. The dough contains gluten, and the filling contains dairy and eggs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes, use 300 g frozen spinach, thawed and well squeezed out before adding it to the filling.
Can I replace the dried yeast with fresh yeast?
Yes, use 25 g fresh yeast and dissolve it in the lukewarm water with the sugar.
How do I cut the pie into 12 equal portions?
First mark out four quarters, then divide each quarter into three equal portions.
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