Life has been a little slower and more reflective this week. I’m opening the cafe for a couple weekdays now. Everything seems to be moving fast in my head, constantly overflowing with ideas and thoughts of the future. Plans to potentially take over the cafe and make it even more of my own. Recipe after recipe that I want to make. Themed dinners and scouring online for discount baking equipment. I’ve been obsessed with the idea of vegetable and fruit-shaped hand pies after making a leaf-shaped spinach and artichoke pie with a green pie crust. 

Spinach and Artichoke Pie

I started the week by waking up nice and early Tuesday to open the cafe. After an hour drive up the coast through newly snow-free fields and forested roads, I reached Owls Head. We only had a few customers. Curious people who saw that I was cooking and smelled bacon wafting through the airport. I made a few breakfast sandwiches with my favorite potato bread, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a fried hash brown. A couple slices of Cooper sharp cheese, too. I finish it by toasting it on the griddle with butter, which gives it a gorgeous golden brown hue. It’s always hard to give it away. 

Wednesday was a prep day. And after speaking to some of the airport employees over the past few weeks, I wanted to create more vegetarian options for them to choose from. Slightly healthier and heartier, too. That’s the once weakness I see in my cooking sometimes – I really know how to impart flavor. Butter, fat, acid. Spices. But I struggle to balance the luxuriousness and deliciousness with nutrition and freshness sometimes. My palate would always rather have a warm chocolate croissant than an apple. But that’s not the case for everyone.

A Vegetarian, Baked Hand Pie

So I started dreaming of a vegetarian hand pie. My favorite vegetables are scallions and chives. The garlicky flavor gives everything a savory edge. So I began thinking of fillings. Mediterranean with lemon, olives, peppers, and spinach. Like my favorite calzone from our old go-to pizza restaurant. Or my favorite easy-to-make pasta. But then I thought of spinach and artichoke pie. The creaminess. Tang of lemon. I had a cup of ricotta in the fridge, too, and a block of sharp cheddar. I stopped by the store for my regular pick up. Now with the cafe business card in hand.

I threw scallions in my basket. Along with lemons, spinach, and potatoes for homemade French fries to accompany our burgers. I had a nice sunny drive home and placed my groceries on the counter. After a quick organization session I found myself chopping scallions. From the dark green to the white. Then I fetched a half stick of butter and started melting it in a sauté pan. It started to brown and caramelize and I added the scallions, which sizzled and softened quickly. I threw in some garlic, too, and some lemon juice and salt. 

Green Spinach Pie Dough

Next I threw in a big handful of spinach leaves and watched them wilt down. To finish it off, I added some chopped artichoke hearts from a can and mixed everything together. I took the pan off the heat and let it cool slightly as I got out ricotta cheese and grated my cheddar. I nearly cut my finger a couple times on the box grater and felt relieved when it was done. I’ve been using it a lot for potatoes. My hash browns have accidentally become a signature dish and a base for our Benedicts. Once my mixture was cooled, I mixed in the ricotta, which stayed mostly thick, and my grated cheddar. It tasted great – like a fancy spinach dip.

I seasoned it with more lemon, salt, and tasted it again. I was happy. So I threw it in the fridge to chill and firm up for a while. Then, I tackled my pie dough. It’s a pretty simple recipe that I use for all pies and hand pies. Like my chicken pot pie hand pies. It starts with a lot of flour and a little salt. Then you work in chopped up butter quickly so it stays cold until the mixture becomes sandy. Lastly you add eggs and ice water to keep the dough cool and to turn it into something rollable. I had a vividly green dough in mind. So I thought of ways to dye it.

Rolling Pie Dough

I realized quickly that I could blend the eggs with spinach. Spinach is really good at dying things green, and I knew it would dominate the yellow. I added a touch of water, too. Less than the amount of ice water I needed because the spinach leaves hold a bit of water that would come out. When I had a bright, vivid green liquid, I poured it into my bowl of butter and flour and started to mix it all together. Quickly it formed into a shaggy, thick dough and I worked it lightly into a brick. Thankfully it was super green, just like I wanted. But I knew I could go further still. 

I wrapped my dough in plastic and placed it in the fridge to firm up for a while. I cleaned, ate lunch, and relaxed a little. But I ate quickly, as I couldn’t wait to get started. To see my idea come together. I spent the afternoon flouring my work surface repeatedly and rolling out my dough. I had to move things off the counter to make room because it was so large. When it was the thickness I wanted, about 1/4”, I placed my rolling pin in the sink. Then I grabbed a knife and nearly started cutting squares. But I had a better idea!

Leaf-Shaped Hand Pies

I cut one first into a long leaf shape. More like an olive leaf than a spinach leaf. But it looked nice. Then I took my first green lid and traced it with my knife over and over again throughout the sheet. Placing floppy green pie dough leaves on a baking sheet one after the other. I collected the scraps, too, and rolled it out again. I got a couple more hand pies out of it. Next I took my spinach and artichoke pie filling out of the fridge, which was nice and firm. I laid all of the pie dough leaves out on the counter and dolloped a bit of filling into each. Then, I found a congruent top leaf and crimped them into spinach and artichoke pies. 

Immediately I became excited. Bright green, creative, and delicious-looking. I decided to bake them so they’d be healthier. And I got another idea. I could dye the egg wash too! So, instead of mixing egg yolks with cream, I blended an egg with spinach leaves and had another bright green accent. When I was done assembling each spinach and artichoke pie, I scored them with the back of my knife to look more like leaves. With a vein and branches off the middle. And while I preheated the oven I brushed the hand pies with my green egg wash. 

Artichoke Dip Filling

They would be even more green than I anticipated, which was a relief and joy. I couldn’t wait for them to bake. In fact, I took them out too early and tested them. The crust was still a little soft. But the egg wash had caramelized and created natural spots of yellowish green all over the “leaves” which made them look even more real. I threw them back in the oven to crisp up and smelled a cloud of savory pie dough, cheese, and butter. Tinted with scallion and garlic. I let them rest for a few minutes to firm up before I tried one. Finally I ripped off a corner piece with the crispiest crust. The filling steamed and oozed out slowly.

It reminded me so much of spinach and artichoke dip. With an extra touch of lemon, scallions, and a homemade pie dough. I want to make a big spinach and artichoke pie, too, or a galette. But I’m so excited to serve these at the cafe. In fact, I think this is my favorite flavor so far. The pie dough is so flaky and tender with an added herbaceous quality. You can taste the crust more when baked, too. I couldn’t stop eating it! I’m equally enthralled with the presentation. I’ve never seen a leaf-style hand pie. I’m going to simply list it as a “spinach and artichoke pie” so people are surprised when it comes to the table. 

Creating More Hand Pies

I’m also excited to create more hand pies in creative shapes. I’ve written down a ton of ideas. A corn hand pie with bacon and cheddar. In a crust dimpled and egg-washed to look like corn on the cob. A haddock hand pie with scales and fins. An apple with red egg wash and a basil leaf on top. The sky is the limit!

I could see them becoming my signature item. Honestly, after a grueling weekend last week by myself at the cafe, handling nearly 14 orders at once, I was craving a bit of creativity. Art. And this did the trick. Not only are these spinach and artichoke pie leaves artful and uniquely green, but they’re damn delicious. I’m going to have a hard time not eating them all.

Thank you for reading! This week we’re having (hopefully) the last snow of the season. Just a little. I visited my grandmother today, who is improving. We made a roast chicken and sides for Easter dinner and I delivered leftovers to her. We had a few people at the cafe who were traveling or celebrating with friends and family and we handed out free Easter candy. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow as a chef, person, and artist. 

If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s or art prints and recipe cards. Be sure to use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. 

Print Pin

Spinach and Artichoke Pie

Green leaves of pie dough filled with savory spinach, artichoke, and cheese

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword artichoke, Hand Pie, pie, spinach

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 tsp fresh chopped garlic
• 1 pound fresh spinach
• 1 12 oz can artichoke hearts
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 12 oz shredded cheddar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cups AP flour
• 3 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 sticks unsalted butter
• 3 eggs + 1 for wash
• 2 tbsp ice water

Instructions

• Chop scallions finely and set aside. Heat 4 tbsp butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
• Once scallions begin to soften, add chopped garlic and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add all but one cup of your fresh spinach and cook until softened. Add chopped artichokes and combine. Then, remove from heat.
• Let mixture cool for a few minutes. Then, add ricotta, shredded cheddar, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Stir.
• Transfer mixture to an air-tight container and let cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• To make pie dough, combine flour, 2 tsp kosher salt, and 3 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, chopped and cold, in a large bowl.
• Work the butter into the flour with your hands or a dough cutter until the mixture is sandy and crumbly.
• In a blender cup or food processor, blend 3 eggs with 3/4 cup of the reserved spinach and 2 tbsp ice water until bright green. Strain egg mixture through a fine sieve into the flour mixture.
• Combine the flour and green egg mixture until a dough forms and there are no clumps of flour left. Work into a thick square and wrap in plastic wrap, chilling in fridge for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to roll your pie dough, flour your work surface generously. Let your dough warm for 10 minutes, then roll into a large rectangle, about 32″ x 24″.
• Cut 20 equal leaves, using your first leaf as a stencil. You may have to re-roll your scraps to create extra leaves.
• Place a generous dollop of spinach and artichoke filling on half of the leaves. Then, place another leaf on top of each, pressing down around the edges to crimp.
• Place leaves on 2-4 baking sheets (you can bake in batches) and chill them in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Blend the last egg with the rest of your spinach leaves (about 1/4 cup) and brush each hand pie with the green egg wash.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until each hand pie is crisp, golden on the bottom, and has subtle golden spots on top.

Notes

• You can cut these into any shape you want! Maybe even a 4-leaf clover for St. Patrick’s day?
• I want to try adding chicken and olives to the filling for a mediterranean version. Even roasted red peppers and feta would be amazing!