Overseas Post - Spinach, Egg and Cheese Pie

Today I am writing all the way from sunny England, as I am here visiting family and friends with my handsome husband.  After the long flight and bad aeroplane food it was lovely to arrive at my in-laws for tea and cake.  Not to mention loads of lovely meals made from the fresh fruit and veg from their allotment just down the road.

On Sunday we had some friends over for lunch and my mother-in-law did all of the cooking for the 8 adults and 3 kids. We had marinated chicken thighs, lamb moussaka, spinach, egg and cheese pie, beetroot and mandarin salad, green salad, roast veg and way too much garlic bread (that may have just been me).  For dessert, ginger and rhubarb crumble, trifle, and a whole wheel of brie. Then, just when we thought we'd had more than we could handle, out came tea and cake.  I was in food heaven.

For today's recipe I thought I would share with you the spinach, egg and cheese pie as it seems like a nice easy one to pull together for lunch or dinner.  You could use any veg you like really, but there is something about the combination of spinach and cheese that just works so very well, so don't fight it.  You could also use feta or ricotta if you can't get your hands on some Boursoin cheese; or even just grate up a harder cheese if you have some in the fridge.

Ingredients

1 big bunch of spinach
3 eggs
Dash of milk
200g Boursoin cheese
1 sheet of ready made puff pastry
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions

First you need to cook your spinach.  Give it a really good wash first, to avoid any grit in the pie.  In a large saucepan, place the spinach along with 3 tbsp water and cover.  Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has cooked right down.  Place in a strainer over your saucepan and allow to cool completely - if the spinach is warm when you add the eggs you will have a scrambled mess on your hands.

Next, preheat your oven to 170.  Line a tray (around 20cm x 30cm) with baking paper, going all the way up the sides.  Chop your pastry to fit the bottom of the tray, coming up the sides too if you have enough.  Bake the pastry on it's own for around 10 mins or until it puffs up a little.  This will avoid the base ending up all soggy.  Push the pastry back down if it got a bit wild in the oven.

Beat your eggs and milk with a fork, adding seasoning to taste.  Chop the spinach as finely as you can (you could use a food processor if you prefer) before adding to the egg mix.  Mix well and then pour into the pastry lined tin.  Cut your cheese up into small pieces and dot all over the pie.

Bake until set, and golden on top.  Depending on your oven, it may take around 25 mins or so.  A great meal on it's own served with a crispy salad.  It also works well in a packed lunch or picnic.