Chickpea and spinach pie

There are days when you have the amazing curries left over from previous day and are in no mood to have the same food. Also, having put so much effort in making them you also do not want to throw them into the bin. This recipe is a makeover of left over chickpea curry or what we lovingly call Chole masala. The same can also be used to lift your left over Rajma or kala chana to the next level and serve a meal which has no similarities to the original curry and yet very gracefully carries the taste and flavour of the original to the new.

Also, if you do not have left overs but still want to make this dish, go ahead and cook some pre-soaked chickpeas with a light tempering of ginger-garlic and Indian spices like Cumin, chilli, turmeric, garam masala, dried mango powder and salt.

Ingredients:

For the pastry crust :

• 1.5 cup wheat flour

• 1 cup plain flour/maida

• 0.5 cup oil

• 0.5 cup butter

• 0.5 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon carom seeds

• water

For the pie filling:

• 1 cup chickpeas - cooked with spices or leftover chickpea curry

• 1 bunch fresh tender spinach, wash and blanched

• 0.5 cup diced paneer/cottage cheese cubes

• A generous grating of any melting cheese

Method:

To make the pastry crust:

1. Mix both flours, seeds and salt in a mixing bowl

2. Cut half of the butter into tiny cubes and rub into the flour

3. Heat oil in a small pan and pour directly on the flour

4. Mix with a spatula

5. Once the oil-flour mix is cool enough to handle, bind into a tight dough using water as required

6. Roll out into a rectangle

7. Melt the remaining butter. Virtually divide the rectangle into 3 parts - apply a generous coat of butter on the central part. Now fold in one side, apply another coat of butter and fold that side too. This will give you a rectangular log, 1/3rd the size of your original rolled out rectangle.

8. Cover with cling wrap or keep in an airtight box and chill in the fridge for atleast 30 mins.

9. Repeat step 6 and 7 twice, which means we will do 2 more turns

10. The pastry dough is ready to use at this stage

To make the filling:

1. Mix blanched spinach, diced paneer into the chickpea curry. Heat on a pan to reduce water content.

2. Smash a few of the chickpeas to give a thicker consistency

3. If desired add salt and other spices to taste

To assemble the pie

1. Preheat oven to 180 dregrees

2. Line a pie tin bottom with baking paper and butter the sides well

3. Divide the pastry dough into two parts one slightly bigger than the other

4. Roll out the bigger dough into a circle about 2-2.5 inches more than the size of the pie tin

5. Place into the base of the tin and press into sides to create pie base

6. Trim sides overhanging from the pie tin.

7. Bake for 10 min (you can make the pie filling during this time)

8. Take out the baked base, pour into the pie base. Flatten with a spatula. Grate cheese on top

9. Roll out the small dough to make 'lid' for the pie

10. Cover the pie with lid, make a few punctures into the cover to let off steam as the pie cooks

11. Milk wash lightly

12. Bake for 30 min. If pie's top appears to darken, cover with foil paper

13. Take out and serve piping hot with a blob of clotted cream or Indian raita