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Greek Greens and Feta Pie with Cornmeal Crust
This rustic savory pie filled with hearty greens uses a porridge-like batter as both a bottom and top crust. It goes by different names, including babanatsa, pispilita and blatsaria, depending on where in Greece it is made. We mix fine- or medium-grind yellow cornmeal with all-purpose flour, olive oil, water and baking powder to make the crust to encase the wilted greens and leek, plus feta and fresh herbs. The ingredient prep takes some time, but the filling does not require cooking and the easy, four-ingredient batter is simply spread into the bottom of the pan and on top of the filling. If the batter becomes too thick upon standing, whisk in water—usually 1 to 2 tablespoons—until it reaches the consistency of pancake batter. Serve, cut into wedges, warm or at room temperature. It’s great even lightly chilled.
8-10
Servings
Tip
Don’t use baby spinach in this pie. The tender, delicate leaves don’t hold up well to baking, as they quickly turn limp and lifeless. Also pass on frozen spinach, which is too dense and lacks freshness. Make sure to set the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet in case any oil leaks out of the bottom during baking.
2¼ hours
1 hour active, plus cooling
Ingredients
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8
ounces bunch spinach, stems trimmed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
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8
ounces rainbow chard or beet greens, stems trimmed, chopped into 1-inch pieces
Directions
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01In a large bowl, toss the spinach, chard and leek with 1 teaspoon salt, then massage with your fingers until slightly wilted. Transfer to a colander and set inside the bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
