Recipe monday

An accidental pie

The best recipes are the ones I come up with on a whim.
This pie was born on a nasty rainy and cold day about a year ago.
I really wanted to make a pie, but I did not have any flour for the crust.And going outside was NOT an option.
I did have a pack of phyllo in the freezer, so I decided to use that instead of a pie dough.
Leak and ricotta was in the fridge and a batch of my chunky pesto from a pasta dinner the day before.
The pie came out wonderful.
Crispy flakes of phyllo and a very tasty filling.
Served it in big slices with a green salad and some good red wine.
It made the day all sunny again.
Enjoy!

Chunky pesto
Makes about 1 cup

2 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/4 pine nuts, toasted
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Place basil, pine nuts and garlic on cutting board.
Use a mezzaluna or a large knife, finely chop the ingredients.
Place in a bowl, add parmesan and oil.
Mix to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

Use the pesto to make:

Leak, pesto and ricotta pie
Serves 6 to 8

1 large leak, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
4 tablespoons cream
1 cup ricotta
3 tablespoons pesto
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
coarse salt and freshly grounded pepper
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375F.
Saute leaks in butter until soft.
In a medium bowl, combine, eggs, egg whites, cream, ricotta, pesto, parmesan and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.
Unroll phyllo, remove one sheet, placing in prepared pan.
Coat lightly with cooking spray.
Repeat with 7 more sheets of phyllo, spraying between each layer.
Trim edges with scissor.
Spoon filling and leaks into the pan.
Bake until golden brown and set, about 45-50 minutes.
Cool before serving.

Photos by Ellen Silverman

Comments

[Colleen]

This looks absolutely fabulous. I may substitute shredded potatoes or something else for the phlyllo when I try it.

[Colleen]

This looks absolutely fabulous. I may substitute shredded potatoes or something else for the phlyllo when I try it.

[Ingrid in Umbria]

Caro Paul,

D´accordo! The recepis come out, when you least know it. A Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, a quality ricotta, your favourite extra virgine, fresh herbs and vegetables - Voilà! Looks delicious! And a good wine on a Monday. What a starter! Grazie e bacione, Ingrid

[ilva]

Makes me wish I could find phyllo pastry here but alas, this nook of Tuscany is phyllo free!

[oolong]

Lovely pics. I make similar thing only with pizza dough, leaks, sour cream and cheese. And I'm so glad the season of leaks is starting :P

[Patricia Scarpin]

I believe this is going to be my next Saturday's lunch, Paul. :)

[Maven]

That just look so good! perfect comfort food for a fall evening. I'm going to make it tomorrow. Thankyou :-)

[Amanda]

When I was small, my brother got mad at me (probably I was begging for it) and took our mother's pinking sheers and went through my room finding my favourite things and clipping their edges with the crinkly blades. The edge of your pie looks just like it, haha...

[Tartelette]

This would be perfect for nice Sunday meal. Relaxed, cozy and fresh! Lovely!

[Tilda B. Hervé]

the food fotographer did a great job! wow!

[Tilda B. Hervé]

the food fotographer did a great job! wow!

[Alli411]

YUM!! That looks delish. I will try making it!

[Midwest Mom]

What a lovely recipe! I have a package of phyllo that I wanted to make a savory recipe for, so I checked on TasteSpotting and found you.

What luck! All the ingredients are right here, and considering it is -10C, I would say it will be a good thing to stay at home!

Many Thanks, MM

[Valerie Tillia]

I accidentally used all the pesto.... oops. Hopefully this will be another happy accident.