Mediterranean Zucchini, Dill, and Feta Pie

Take your taste buds to the Mediterranean with this savory, vegetarian, gluten-free, and Passover-friendly pie. An almond flour crust envelops a generous helping of zucchini as well as spinach, dill, parsley, feta, and eggs. It tastes fresh and light yet substantial. You can make the pie in advance and reheat it at serving time. Or eat it cold—it tastes great that way, too. You’ll need a 9.5-inch deep-dish pie plate (preferably glass), and, if you have one, you can use a food processor instead of a box grater to shred the zucchini.

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Ingredients

Crust

21/2 cups almond meal/flour preferably blanched
1/3 cup potato starch plus extra as needed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs lightly beaten

Pie

4 medium zucchini 2 to 2 ¼ pounds, ends trimmed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large garlic cloves minced
5 ounces baby spinach
1 cup finely chopped dill
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
11/4 cups crumbled feta
3 eggs lightly beaten

Instructions

Using the large holes on a box grater, grate zucchini into a large colander. Toss with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and set the colander over a bowl to drain for 1 hour, periodically pressing the zucchini to squeeze out more liquid. Use a towel or paper towels to squeeze out any remaining liquid and then transfer zucchini to a large bowl. Discard the liquid.
Meanwhile, make the crust. Combine the almond flour, starch, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil to the eggs and stir the wet ingredients into the dry to make a dense dough. Add a little additional potato starch if it seems too liquidy, but it should be moist. Divide in half, and press each half into a disk on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and freeze one (which will be the bottom crust) for 10 minutes and refrigerate the other (which will become the top) until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from freezer. Roll out between 2 sheets of wax paper. Transfer to a 9.5-inch deep-dish pie plate, and reshape as needed to cover and create a small rim. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until just starting to turn golden. Remove to a cooling rack.
Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. Stir frequently until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté one more minute. Add the spinach, and use a large spatula to turn it until it wilts. Add spinach mixture to the drained zucchini, then stir in the dill, parsley, feta, eggs, and more black pepper to taste. Transfer to the pie dish.
Remove the second piece of dough from the fridge and roll out wide enough to cover the top of the pie. Transfer to the pie, patching any holes and crimp the ends to seal. Slash at least 6 holes in the crust to let steam escape. Transfer to the 350-degree oven and bake about 50 minutes, until golden brown. If the edges are browning too quickly, cut a circle of foil with a doughnut hole and place it over the pie to protect the edges.
Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
To make ahead, cook the pie as directed. When cool, cover and refrigerate. To serve, reheat uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes in a 275-degree oven.

Notes

If you don’t need to avoid wheat or grains for holiday or dietary reasons, you can use your own favorite unsweetened pastry dough recipe for the crust.