Lamb’s Quarter Filo Pie
based on Spinach Borek at Elra’s Baking1/2 c. pine nuts
Olive oil
half of one small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c. scallions, chopped
1/2 c. parsley, chopped
1 large bunch lamb’s quarter, stems removed and discarded, roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper
2 eggs
9 oz. feta, crumbled
1/2 lb Filo dough
4 T. butter, meltedPreheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 or 9 inch pie pan with parchment paper, letting the sides hang over the edge. Alternatively, butter a springform pan.
Prepare filling:
Heat a medium-sized chef’s pan over medium high heat. Add pine nuts and toast for about 5 minutes, until golden. Watch the nuts carefully as they go from golden brown to burnt and blackened in less than 2 minutes. Reserve pine nuts.Heat about 1/2T olive oil in chef’s pan. Add onions and saute for 1 minute. Add scallions and parsley, and saute for an additional 4 minutes. Add lamb’s quarter and saute until wilted and reduced in volume, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Once lamb’s quarter mixture has cooled a bit, add eggs and cheese and mix well. Fold in pine nuts.
Prepare crust:
Unroll filo dough on a flat work surface. Cover with a damp kitchen towel so the sheets don’t dry out. Working quickly, lay one sheet of filo over prepared pan (edges will hang over quite a bit), then lightly brush with butter. Repeat laying/buttering process until all the sheets are used up, changing the angle you lay the filo every time to make sure that when you fold the edges back over the entire pie will be covered.Spread lamb’s quarter mixture evenly over the bottom of the pie, then fold overhanging filo edges and brush with remaining butter. Bake for 35 minutes, until the filo is golden and flaky. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer pie from pan to serving platter, either by grasping overhanging parchment paper (trim away excess parchment afterward), or by removing spring-form. Enjoy!
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The more I shop at the farmer’s market, the less often I come across vegetables I’ve never seen before. When I first started visiting the farmer’s market, I had lots of ‘first encounters’: black radishes, poblano peppers, fava beans, rapini, persimmons, kiwano melons, and chiogga beets to name a few. But now I’m an old hand, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen anything ‘new’. However, I was at the farmer’s market not too long ago and I came across a huge, bouquet-like bunch of dark leafy greens I had never seen before. I asked the woman at the vegetable stand what it was, and she answered ‘Lamb’s Quarter — we use it as a cover crop over the winter’. I promptly bought a bunch and tucked it into my market bag
Once home I did a little research and found that lamb’s quarter can be used anywhere that you would use spinach. And in fact, lamb’s quarter can be far more economical than spinach. The aforementioned (huge) bunch at the farmer’s market (which weighed in at over 2 lbs) cost $1.75, whereas mature spinach was selling for $3.50/lb. Also, though I’ve never had a problem with the astringency of spinach, many people say that lamb’s quarter is less astringent, eliminating the ‘fuzzy teeth’ feeling some people get after eating cooked spinach.
With this abundant bunch of lamb’s quarters, I decided to make a version of Spinach Borek, which I first saw over at Elra’s Baking. The recipe seemed simple, elegant, and delicious. Plus, I had a lonely half-pakage of filo dough in the freezer that was begging to be used. The whole thing came together in less than 30 minutes minus baking time, and the end result was fantastic.
Anyways, I encourage you to keep an eye out for this plentiful weed that is showing up more often at the farmer’s market — it’s delicious, inexpensive, and incredibly versatile.
Still Hungry? Try one of these:
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Comments
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 pm and is filed under Nuanced Nuts, Veritable Vegetables, Wild Greens (Lamb's Quarter, Purslane, Sorrel). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
The pie looks great! And I love lamb’s quarters. Almost as good as purslane!
The Purloined Letter - thanks for commenting! I’ve only ever had purslane one time, which was when I added it to a salad. Do you have other preparation suggestions?
Nice! That recipe sounds delicious.
You can find lamb’s quarters yourself in a lot of places, since it’s a pretty hardy weed. Just don’t pick it from somewhere with chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other nasties, since it will absorb them.
Food Is Love
this looks so delicious. oh I wished I had a slice right now.
Debs — have you had much luck gathering your own greens? I often see dandelion on the side of the road, but shy away from it because I bet it is coated with either pesticides or car exhaust… any suggestions of general areas where to look? parks? nature preserves? neighbor’s lawns?
Maybelle’s Mom — thanks! it was delicious, and quite easy!
Jen,
Good job! I should try to make it with Lamb’s quarters. Btw, which farmer’s market did you buy it?
Elra - Thanks! And thanks to you for the inspiration. I got the lamb’s quarters at the saturday Palo Alto Farmer’s market near the post office
Jen, I surfed on over from your comment on my bagel post. Your site is making me hungry!
I’m definitely going to look for lamb’s quarters at the farmer’s market from now on. I’m quite curious as to if they will have them in my area. Did you sample any on its own to see how the flavor compared to spinach?
Katie — Thanks for stopping by! Often Lamb’s Quarter is used as a cover crop over the winter to build the soil and protect from erosion. It’s pretty hardy, so I imagine it’s fairly widely available. The taste is pretty comparable to spinach, though LQ leaves are smaller and thicker. Also, LQ stems are more chewy and coarse than spinach stems, so you should take care to remove them.
Hey,
I realize I haven’t gathered greens in a long time. I remember picking lamb’s quarters and wild watercress and other things back in college in northern Ohio, during a field botany class. I guess you have to know the area and whether it’s sprayed. These days I’m much more of a berry picker, and attempting to be a mushroom gatherer too.
Debs
Food Is Love
[…] Carlile presents Lamb’s Quarter Filo Pie posted at Modern […]
This recipe sounds great!
I gather “weeds” frequently to eat. I have not yet enjoyed lambs quarter though. Old hay fields and abandoned lots are good places to find edible weeds. I actually find a lot of our weeds in the ditches along our drive way. Of course I have a very long driveway! :)
this looks soooooooooooo good!
[…] Modern Beet caught my eye with her Lamb’s Quarter Filo Pie. Don’t let the name scare you away, lamb’s quarter is a vegetable, and you can use spinach if the ingredient is hard to find in your area. […]
Great looking pie! I’ve picked a plant or two of lambs quarters while weeding and added it to salad but haven’t seen it in such quantities at our farmer’s markets. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
Ohhhh that pie looks utterly divine. Filo dough is one of the top things I miss since going gluten-free.
[…] been interested in wild foods for a while now (nettles, lamb’s quarter (aka pigweed), dandelion), but usually, I procure these things at the farmer’s market. This was one of my […]