Broccoli and Spinach Pie

Bethlehem of Galilee is one of those magical places that take you back in time the minute you step inside their gates. It was originally established by a group of Templers at the dawn of the 20th century. Walking along its main street reveals interesting architecture and peaceful patches of green flora.

In the midst of all this lies "Nira'le", which is a ceramics / gallery / coffee shop according to its owner's description, Nira. She makes a collection of beautiful ceramic dishes which are sold in the shop along with interesting furniture and other colorful items. I'm a big ceramics fan, so I couldn't help buying one of her lovely bowls. It's really GREAT for baking things, savory pies for example!

The recipe for the base of this pie is actually an adaptation of her cheesecake base, as is the base for this recipe. After having a slice of the cake while drinking coffee at her shop, I worked up the courage to ask for the recipe, which she kindly gave away.

If you happen to find yourself in Bethlehem of Galilee, you must visit her shop!

I was washing spinach leaves when I found this little guy! He was so tiny I had to use my macro extension to take a proper picture of him. When I was done taking pictures of him we said goodbye to each other ("Goodbye little snail", "..." ) and I put him in a shaded place near my block where there's lots of grass. I hope he is happy now.

Nira's baking dish looks so good!! Especially with all that broccoli inside..

 

Broccoli and Spinach Pie

makes one 24cm diameter pie

Ingredients for the base:
70g unsalted butter
1 egg (L)
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour

Ingredients for the filling:
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
50g unsalted butter
100g spinach leaves, washed and dried
350g broccoli (only the head part)
2 tbsp dill, chopped
200 ml yogurt
120 ml milk
2 eggs (L)
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp flour

100g feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Base: melt the butter and let it cool a bit to room temperature. Mix the flour and baking powder together. In a different bowl, stir the egg, milk and butter thoroughly. Add the flour to the mixture, a pinch of salt and pepper, and combine till it's roughly uniform. Spread this soft buttery dough on the bottom of your baking dish.

Filling: In a large frying pan, fry the chopped onion in 50g of butter till it's golden brown on medium heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach, broccoli and chopped dill. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, Mix the yogurt, milk and eggs thoroughly together using a whisk. Add the flour and baking powder and whisk till no blobs are left.

Spread the vegetables over the base and crumble the feta cheese on top. Pour the yogurt mixture over this green goodness, making sure to fill all the little holes between the vegetables. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let cool a bit before slicing.

Serve with plenty of yogurt or sour cream.