Turns out sometimes a regular dinner just needs a little spookifying.
Whether you're out there making a spinach-filled meal and calling it spanakopita, or burek, or just plain old spinach pie, there's one thing that is undeniable: spinach is delicious. Not icky. Delicious. (Especially when full of cheese and other herbs and set in a lovely pie crust.)
But while we can plan adorable treats for our Halloween parties all day long, chances are you (and your kids, if you have them) are excited about the spooky spirit all month long—as you should be! In such a time, I say: why wait until the last day of the month to make your table spooky when you can get to work right here and now for an everyday (and veggie-filled) dinner? Grab some Halloween themed cookie cutters, and you've got the means of making something adorable, delicious, and plenty magical.
And while I've heard of spinach pies before, I've never seen one that incorporated mint, of all things, but I gotta say: it worked so well! Dill and mint together, in a savory dish like this, is a flavor profile I haven't experienced, and it makes me want to explore Greek food more.
For this meal, we're looking specifically at spinach, parsley, dill, and cheese (or just dairy in general).
Magic in Spooky Spinach Pie
We've talked about spinach before: it's a hearty leaf, with a deep and pretty green color and plenty of zinc and iron inside. Its constitution, color, and substance make it wonderful for grounding, prosperity, and armoring oneself. Therefore, as a focus in this dish, you know it's going to be a powerful thing in the main focus of wealth and protection. Combine that with the symbol of abundance for our ancestors, dairy (especially cheese) and the herbs of dill and parsley, which are all about communication, protection, and money, this makes one pretty green recipe.
Interestingly enough, depending on what tradition or views you have of spinach, it could be considered water or earth—which means you very reasonably have a combination of all four elements here. Combine that with two Mercury-focused herbs that aid in communication and protection, as well as the sentimental Moon-driven ricotta and the lucky Jupiter-ruled spinach, and you have a recipe for a happy disposition, great interpersonal connection, and lots of luck.
Spooky Spinach Pie
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 40-50
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
Two 9in pie crusts
1 small pack ricotta (2 cups)
2/3 cup feta
1/3 cup parmesan
12oz frozen spinach
1lb ground beef
1 tsp dried dill
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried mint
2 onions, diced
2 eggs
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Dice and fry two onions until soft.
Add garlic, frying until fragrant.
Add ground beef and break into pieces, then let fry until nearly all the pink is gone.
While the meat cooks, drain the spinach of as much water as you can and add to a bowl.
AMix ricotta, feta, parmesan, eggs, and herbs into the bowl.
When the beef and onion is done, fold into your mixture.
Prepare a pan with the pie crusts, cutting out Halloween shapes (like ghosts, witch hats, etc.) for the top.
Fill the bottom pie crust with the mixture, then add the shapes on top.
Bake at 350 until the crust is golden brown, around 30-40 minutes.
Easy, delicious, perfect for cleaning up the kitchen while the food bakes, and workable for the spooky season and other times of the year—what more could you want for a dish? Definitely try this out, because it is such a unique blend of flavors (and so satisfying to eat)! ♥
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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
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