Another great recipe from our friends at Social Manna down the road. Hope you enjoy... a good one for those colder days!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 large brown onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 285g spinach (fresh from the garden or frozen)
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs (Italian or plain)
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded - can use Swiss too
• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 2/3 teaspoon dried
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• salt/pepper, to taste
• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed in fridge overnight

Method

Note: Let the puff pastry thaw in the fridge overnight. Don't unroll it frozen. Don't let it sit at room temperature for too long as it can prevent it from rising.

Caramelize the Onions:

1. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cut the onions into ½ inch pieces, don’t dice too finely. They shrink down as they cook.
3. Heat the onions for 15 minutes, decrease the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until they’re brown and caramelized. This takes about 35 minutes total but is worth it for the flavor. Note: If time doesn’t allow for this, use one onion instead and soften for 7 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Prepare the Casserole Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
2. Drain the water from the spinach.
3. Egg wash: Crack ONE of the eggs into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon water. Whisk and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, crack the remaining 4 eggs. Whisk vigorously until well-combined. (Air pockets are created from whisking well which gives a fluffier consistency.)
5. Add the spinach, breadcrumbs, cheese, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and cooked onions/garlic. Stir until well-combined.

Prepare the Spinach Pie

1. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
2. Roll out one thawed puff pastry until it is large enough to cover the bottom and sides.
3. Add the spinach filling.
4. Roll out the second puff pastry sheet until it is large enough to cover the top.
5. Use a fork to create indentations around the edges of the casserole dish.
6. Brush the top of the casserole with the egg wash. Don’t let it drip down the sides as that can affect rising.
7. Create slits on the top to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown.
9. Let it sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.

 Enjoy!

Tristan Fair

Head Chef - Social Manna