spinach, turkey & goat cheese. pie.

This is one of those recipes I feel like I dreamed up. I was thinking about for a couple of days & then I just made it. It is great too. I love when that happens. It is simple & homey with flavors of fennel, basil, fresh local spinach & tart goat cheese. I served this with a French rose & a small salad of greens & creamy dressing. 

spinach, turkey & goat cheese. pie.

makes 1 -10" pie

For the crust:

makes 1 crust

1 stick butter, cold & diced

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, some extra for rolling out

4-6 TBL cold water

1. Put butter & flour in a food processor & blitz until combined (butter is pea sized). Add water slowly with the motor still going, once dough comes together a bit, stop motor. 
2. Lay a piece of plastic wrap flat on the work space. Gather dough in the center of the plastic wrap & wrap tightly into a disk.
3. Pop into the fridge for 1/2 hour. 
4. Lay wax paper down on the work space, flour lightly. Roll out dough into a flat disk, large enough to fit into a 9" pie plate. 
5. Form into the plate & crimp sides. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the filling:

olive oil

1 lb. organic ground turkey, room temp if you can  

a handful of: fennel seeds, chili pepper flakes, sea salt, ground pepper, dried basil

1/2 lb. spinach

1 shallot, peeled & diced

1 clove garlic, minced

a splash of wine (whatever your drinking!)

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1. In a pan, drizzle oil over medium-high heat. Cook the spices for about a minute & then add turkey meat. Stir frequently & cook for about 6-8 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Remove & set aside.
2. In the same pan & the same heat, cook onions & garlic for about 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of wine & add spinach. Cook for another minute or so until the spinach begins to wilt. (Not too wilted though).
3. Toss spinach in with the turkey, add goat cheese & season with salt & pepper. Pour into the crust. 
4. Put in the oven for about 30 minutes, until cheese it melted, the crust is tinted golden & the top looks set.
5. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. 

happy eatings & cheers!