Ingredients
| OLIVE OIL DOUGH | |
| 300g (approx 2 cups) plain flour | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 4 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 2 teaspoons lemon juice | |
| 100-150ml water warm | |
| RICE FILLING | |
| 300g spinach leaves (or use kale or silverbeet) | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 1 leek, sliced | |
| 250g mushrooms, wiped, stems discarded, roughly chopped | |
| 2 cloves garlic, chopped | |
| 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds | |
| a pinch of chilli flakes | |
| 150g (approx ¾ cup) risotto rice | |
| 750ml vegetable stock | |
| 1 egg, lightly beaten | |
| 250g ricotta | |
| 125g crème fraîche | |
| 20g parmesan, freshly grated | |
| finely grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ lemon |
This was inspired by a Ligurian-style torte in which rice is cooked in milk and enriched with a locally made, creamy, tangy spreadable cheese called prescinsêua. Prescinsêua is often substituted with crescenza or stracchino and Nelson cheesemakers Viavio Cheese make an excellent version of the latter. I’ve made a more substantial pie with plenty of extra vegetables and used a more readily accessible combination of ricotta and crème fraîche to give the tangy flavour. Of course, if you have some leftover risotto it would make an excellent base for the pie.
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Instructions
| 1. | OLIVE OIL DOUGH |
| 2. | Put the flour and salt in a bowl of a food processor (or mix by hand). |
| 3. | Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and 100ml of water, add to the flour and blitz until the dough comes together, adding a little more water to the mix if required. |
| 4. | Tip out onto a bench and knead until smooth. |
| 5. | Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or it can be done a day ahead). |
| 6. | RICE FILLING |
| 7. | Wash the spinach and cook in a wide saucepan on a high heat until wilted. |
| 8. | Drain and refresh in cold water then squeeze dry and chop roughly. Set aside. |
| 9. | In the same pan, heat the oil then add the leek, seasoning generously with salt. |
| 10. | Cook gently until soft, about 10 minutes. |
| 11. | Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until softened then add the ground fennel and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes. |
| 12. | Add the rice and fry for a minute or so, then add the stock. |
| 13. | Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. |
| 14. | Spread the mix on a large baking tray and set aside to cool. |
| 15. | When cold, stir in the egg, cheeses, lemon zest and juice and the spinach. |
| 16. | Season with salt and pepper to taste. |
| 17. | Heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 18. | Divide the olive oil dough into two and roll out each piece very thinly (2-3mm) on a lightly floured bench. |
| 19. | Put one piece of rolled out dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. |
| 20. | Add the filling, leaving a 3cm edge. Brush the edges with water, add the top piece of dough and crimp the edges. |
| 21. | Cut a few holes in the top to allow steam to escape, brush with extra olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. |
| 22. | Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve with a green salad. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe