.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie — What this dish needs is . . . a one-of-a-kind pottery pie plate!

He's not in the kitchen!
Barry at work in his workshop

While I’ve been in the kitchen, Barry’s been outside working in his man cave (i.e. workshop). After months of manual labor, he has the shop insulated and hopefully is at a point where he will again start making pottery. Although we have quite a collection of his handmade kitchenware and other decorative pieces throughout the house I am certainly looking forward to some new pieces!

While he’s been outside, I’ve been in the kitchen trying out new recipes and this is my latest experiment. It’s inspiration came from the March/April 2012 issue of EatingWell magazine. This is what they said about it, “This rice, spinach and Cheddar pie is a cinch to prepare—especially if you have leftover cooked rice. If you don’t, follow package directions for 4 servings to get about 3 cups cooked rice.”

Of course, I can never leave well enough alone . . . and since I had both fresh spinach and kale on hand, I used them instead of the frozen spinach called for in the original recipe. Seasoned salt replaced the regular salt and, I added some hot sauce! We deemed it quite suitable for brunch or a meatless meal. But, I’m thinking a nice, deep-dish hand-thrown pottery pie plate would make it even better! And, I really need a few other things as well!

A shelf of pottery in Barry's studio.

Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie 6 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

About 16 to 18 oz. fresh spinach or, a combination of spinach and kale (removed from stems & chopped)

3 cups cooked brown rice (could use instant or quick-cooking)

1 to 1½ cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (the recipe called for 1 cup but I thought it could have used a little more – also think a spicy cheese blend would be good)

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

4 large eggs

¼ cup milk

1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco®)

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a 9” pie pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add spinach (or spinach-kale combination); add lid and left cook on low until greens are wilted. Let cool slightly.

The greens have wilted.

3. Add rice, cheese, pepper and salt to the skillet and stir to combine.

4. Whisk eggs, milk and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Stir into the spinach-rice mixture. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.