Mama’s Mushroom & Spinach Pie

Mama’s Mushroom & Spinach Pie wraps a cooked spinach-and-mushroom filling in pastry, then bakes the filled log until golden. It works as either a lunch or dinner dish and pairs naturally with a simple salad.

Mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic, and green chili are sautéed before spinach is added. The vegetable mixture is cooled before it is combined with beaten egg and grated mozzarella.

The pastry is rolled into a rectangle, filled, sealed, glazed with egg white, and baked seam-side down. The source allows either frozen chopped spinach or an equivalent quantity of fresh spinach that has been wilted and squeezed dry.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons good oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced and quartered
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh green chilies, minced
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• Pastry shell or filo pastry
• 1 egg white, for glazing

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili until the mushrooms soften. Season with salt and pepper, add the spinach, and cook about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Beat the egg in a large bowl, mix in the mozzarella, then fold in the cooled spinach mixture. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about 12 by 18 inches, place the filling in the center, and fold into a sealed log. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet, brush with egg white, and bake for 45 minutes. Slice into 2-inch pieces. Makes 3–4 servings.