Recipes Spinach-and-Grape-Leaf Pie 4.0 (2) 4 Reviews Chef Alex Raij made this big, impressive pie, which she calls pastel de parra, to snack on throughout the weekend; a big slice is also satisfying as a meal. By Alex Raij Alex Raij F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: El Quinto Pino, Txikito, La Vara (New York City) Education: Culinary Institute of America What dish are you famous for? The uni panini at El Quinto Pino. What’s the first dish you ever cooked by yourself? The first recipe I followed was probably chocolate mousse from Julia Child. My mom had all of her books. What is the best dish for a neophyte cook to try? Something satisfying, that will make you want to keep cooking for the rest of your life. You want to be successful the first time. Braised chicken thighs aren’t expensive and will never get dry or tough. What’s the most important skill you need to be a great chef? How to be self-critical. How to keep tasting until it’s right, to fix something if it’s wrong. What’s your secret-weapon ingredient? Seaweed. I use a lot of Japanese ingredients because my husband worked at Nobu. I use all kinds, like nori, kombu and dulse. I put them under fish, or I make a little salad with them rehydrated and chopped up like a Mediterranean ingredient. To me that’s so Spanish: to take this otherworldly ingredient that you don’t know how to use, and use it incorrectly without realizing it, and end up with this thing that’s fresh and unique. What is the best-bang-for-the-buck ingredient? Chinese flowering garlic chives. They’re the poor man’s ramp. We’ve been pickling the tops and sautéing the bottoms. They remind me of Basque ajetes, which are like garlic scapes. They use them in scrambled eggs and with shrimp and things like that. The chives are expensive by Chinatown standards—whereas all greens in Chinatown are $1.50 a pound, these are $3 and $4 a bunch—but I like them because you can eat them like a vegetable, not like an herb. Best-bang-for-the-buck food trip—where would you go and why? Spain. They have a lot of really high-quality ingredients, and a lot of technical expertise. So you eat well in people’s homes and in restaurants. That’s not true in every country. And you can eat well at any price point. Everyone always says Vietnam and Thailand, and I love Mexico, too. But Spain has such a strong restaurant- and food-loving culture. When you go to Spain, you live food. If you were going to take Thomas Keller, Tony Bourdain or Mario Batali out to eat, where would you go? I would take Anthony Bourdain to the Basque country. He kindly filmed his show at two of my restaurants. I know he has some Basque blood, so I think he’d have some affinity for it. And he reminds me of my brother-in-law—he’s a nice guy. I think he’s become larger than life; he’s kind of ironic but he’s not mean. I find him fascinating. He’s got the most interesting job of the three of them! He gets to travel and see the world, talking to energized young chefs. I’d love to hear about that. If you were facing an emergency, and could only take one backpack of supplies, what would you bring? Rice, because my husband and kids love it even if I don’t. Eggs. Olive oil. Anchovies. Some kind of charcuterie, like ham or salami. I eat for pleasure; I don’t really eat for survival. So if I had to eat for survival, I’d become extra-practical and have rice and eggs. What’s a dish that tells your story? Escabèche. My mom made a rabbit escabèche, and we make it now at La Vara. My parents were from Argentina, so my whole background is littered with lots of European references. They’re Jewish, too. There was a lot of Spanish, Jewish and Italian eating at my house. I have an immediate affinity for certain dishes when I know how they should taste before I even attempt them. When you have that kind of confidence, you feel at home with that cuisine. Do you have a favorite snack? Toasted nori snacks. I really like the ones with wasabi on them. What do you eat straight out of the fridge, standing up? Chorizo and chocolate—a dish I served at Tía Pol came from doing just that. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 17, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Antonis Achilleos Active Time: 1 hrs Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients dough 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon salt 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 cup heavy cream filling 4 large whole eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, minced Salt 4 garlic cloves, minced One 10-ounce jar of grape leaves, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced (about 3 cups) 2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced Six 10-ounce packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, or 3 pounds fresh spinach, stemmed and blanched 2 cups frozen peas, thawed 8 ounces fresh ricotta (1 cup) 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated (1/4 cup) Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 cup finely chopped mint Freshly ground pepper 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk, for glazing Directions make the dough In a food processor, combine the 2 cups of flour and the salt and pulse a few times to blend. Add half of the butter and pulse until it is the size of large peas. Add the remaining butter and pulse until all of the butter is the size of baby peas. Make holes in the flour mixture and drizzle in the heavy cream. Pulse until the dough starts to come together. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead it a few times and form the dough into a ball. Cut off one-third of the dough and gently form it into a disk. Gently flatten the larger piece of dough into a disk. Wrap both disks tightly in plastic and refrigerate until they are firm, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. make the filling In a medium saucepan, cover the 4 whole eggs with warm water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain the eggs and cover with cold water. Lightly crack the shells, and when the eggs are cool, carefully peel them. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and a large pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the grape leaves, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the scallions and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is heated through and thoroughly incorporated, about 5 minutes. Scrape the greens from the skillet into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the peas, ricotta, Parmigiano, beaten egg, lemon juice, nutmeg and mint. Season the filling with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 425°. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the large piece of dough to a 16-inch round slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and transfer it to a 10-inch springform pan. Unfold the dough and gently press it into the pan and up the side. Trim the overhang to 1/2 inch. Refrigerate the dough in the pan. Roll out the smaller piece of dough to a 10-inch round, slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Slide the round onto a cookie sheet and chill for 5 minutes, until firm. Trim the round to 9 inches. Arrange the whole cooked eggs in the dough-lined pan and cover with the filling, smoothing the top. Place the 9-inch dough round on top and brush the edge with some of the egg-milk glaze. Fold the overhanging dough over the center round and pinch the edges together to seal. Brush the top and edge of the pie with the glaze. Transfer the pie to the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° and bake for about 50 minutes, until the crust is richly browned and the filling is hot. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool to warm. Remove the side of the pan. Cut the pie into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. Make Ahead The dough, filling and cooked eggs can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring the filling to room temperature before proceeding. The baked pie can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours or covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat gently in a 375° oven. Suggested Pairing Citrusy, full-bodied white Rioja. Rate it Print