Bake Spinach-Ricotta Pie for Easter Brunch

#Middlebury #DonnasDay

Easter eggs are dyed in colorful hues, the table is set, and now it’s time to prepare the main dish for your family’s Easter brunch. This vegetarian “Spinach Ricotta Pie” will introduce your novice school-age chef to new cooking techniques, from draining spinach to grating cheese and pressing out a simple pie crust. If a younger child is eager to join the kitchen crew, let him rinse berries, pull grapes from their stems and chop bananas for a side fruit salad.

The tasty, springy-green looking dish is mild enough for all tastes. If you wish to kick up the flavor and heat a notch, add the optional feta cheese and a dash of cayenne.

Spinach-Ricotta Pie

Easy Flaky Crust
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

1. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Add flour and salt. Work together with a pastry blender.
2. Gather the soft dough into a ball with your hands and press into a 9-inch pan. This is a perfect job for your school-age child. Simply set the ball in the middle of the pan, and press the dough out in all directions to extend slightly over the rim. Flute the edges with fingers. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

Filling
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup half-and-half
1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
3 eggs, slightly beaten

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain in a large strainer. Show your child how to squeeze out the liquid by pressing spinach against the sides of the strainer with a large spoon.
3. Saute onion in butter on medium heat until onion is translucent. Stir in spinach, salt, nutmeg and black pepper. For an extra kick, add cayenne pepper if you wish. Cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine half and half, cheeses and eggs. Mix thoroughly. Stir in cooled spinach mixture. Pour into pastry-lined pan.
5. Bake 50-60 minutes or until pie is set and top is lightly browned.
6. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with mixed fruit or green salad on the side and a slice of crusty French bread. Makes 6 servings.

TIP: Prepare the crust and put it into the pan the day before. Cover and refrigerate.

Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.”

(c) 2018 Donna Erickson
Distributed by King Features Synd.