Clover Pie

This savory pie is perfect for a St. Patrick's day dinner. Although there aren't really any clovers in it, it is easy to imagine that it's full of them.

I love the taste of corned beef, but it is rather salty. This pie has a thin layer of corned beef at the bottom, which the juicy greens balance very nicely. The crust turned out deliciously flaky. My family wanted seconds and thirds.

My brother designed and printed the clover cookie cutter. The file is available here:

Double crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 c shortening

10 tbs cold butter

ice water

Filling

1 bunch of spinach (about 200 grams), chopped

1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped

3-5 mushrooms of your choice, chopped

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 of a 15-oz container of ricotta cheese

1/3 can of corned beef, about 1/2 cup

Mix the flour and the salt. Add the shortening, and mix until it is fine and crumbly.

Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut into the flour mixture until blended, but large bits of butter should remain.

Add 5 tablespoons of ice water and mix. Add 3-6 additional tablespoons, stirring after each one, until the dough just sticks together when you press it into a ball. Do not over-mix, or the crust will not turn out flaky.

Divide into two balls of dough. Wrap each in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Finely chop spinach and parsley. Chop mushrooms. Toss together.

Scramble eggs with the salt and pepper. Mix in ricotta cheese.

Combine egg and vegetable mixtures well.

To make the bottom crust, dampen the countertop with a rag. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Place one of the balls of dough on the plastic wrap, and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Roll into a large circle with a diameter of about 13 inches. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then pick up the dough with the bottom layer of plastic wrap. Place on a deep pie dish and remove the plastic wrap. Press the dough into the dish. Clean up the edges by cutting off the excess with a butter knife. Save the extra for decorating the top.

Cover the bottom of the pie with canned corned beef, pressing a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Add the vegetable mixture on top.

Roll out the top crust as you did with the bottom crust. Before placing it on the pie, use a cookie cutter to cut out a pattern of clovers. Save the cutouts to put on top.

Place the top crust on the pie and cut off the excess. Roll the excess dough into a long snake, and form a Celtic knot to decorate the top. Put the clover cutouts on top as well. Press all along the edge with two fingers to form a pattern and seal the pie.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, then increase the heat to 400 and bake for 15 more minutes to brown the top.

Serve hot. Goes well with fresh fruit on the side.