A Taste of Early Summer

When I told my husband that I would be baking a pie with tvorog and early seasonal greens for Russian Life, he said: “But of course! Nothing says Russia and summer better than tvorog with greens!”

Although plenty of other cultures have something similar (e.g. the Greek spanakopita and Ossetian pies with home cheese and beetroot tops, to name just two), this combination proliferates in homemade Russian cooking in the summer months, a vital part of drawn-out dacha brunches in the form of simple spreads, quick baking projects (my mother-in-law makes her version with store-bought puff pastry) and actual pies.

Although the recipe I share here has no storied family history, it is simple and flavorful and filled to the brim with the aromas of fresh herbs.

And you know what my husband said when I made him try it? “Well, it’s better than all the others because it has so much filling. And considering that I don’t like pies with greens and tvorog, this is very good.”

Tvorog Quiche

Dough

2 oz (60 g) butter

2 oz (60 ml) boiling water

½ tsp salt

2 oz (60 ml) vegetable oil
(sunflower oil would be
most fitting with Russian culinary tradition, but use whatever you like)

2 cups plus 2 tbsp (250g) flour

Filling

12-14 oz (350-400g) of leafy greens (sorrel, spinach, nettle, wood garlic), herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill) and scallions

12 oz (350 g) farmer cheese or tvorog (in a pinch, ricotta cheese also works)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 eggs

salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste

To make the dough, dice the cold butter and cover it with the boiling water. Add salt and mix until the butter dissolves in the water. Add in the vegetable oil, mix, then add the flour and mix again. You’ll have a very pliable dough that can be rolled out on a piece of parchment paper without any additional flour. Roll the dough out into a circle that will fit your chosen baking dish and go up the sides. Transfer the circle from the parchment paper to the baking dish, pierce all over with a fork and put it in the fridge while you prepare the filling and heat up the stove.

To make the filling, wash all the greens well. Heat up the vegetable oil in a pan and cook down the leafy greens. Once all of the greens wilt, transfer them to a strainer and let them cool slightly before wringing any additional liquid from them. Coarsely chop the herbs and the scallions.

Mix the cheese and eggs together until they are well blended. You can even use a few whirls of a blender if you like. Then mix in (stirring by hand) the cooked greens, herbs and scallions, along with the spices.

Heat the oven to 400° F, remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, and blind bake it for 15 minutes using pie weights. Remove the shell, turn the heat down to 320° F, and pour the filling into the shell.

Depending on the height of your baking dish, you may not use up all of the filling, but if you have a deep pie plate, you’ll have lots of deliciousness. Bake for 50 minutes, until the top of the filling bounces back when prodded. Take out and let cool. May be eaten warm or cold.