Swiss Chard Slab Pie Food

SWISS CHARD SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse flour with salt and pepper. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal, with some large pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle ice water on top and pulse just until dough comes together. Scrape onto a work surface, divide in half, and pat each half into a 6-inch square. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.
• Make the filling: In a pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, ginger and red pepper flakes. Add chard stems and cook until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in chard leaves in large handfuls, letting them wilt before adding more. Add wine, reduce heat to medium, and cook until leaves are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a colander to cool completely and drain. When cool, mix chard with sour cream and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Slide dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread filling evenly, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll out remaining dough and ease it over the filling. Fold the rim over itself and pinch edges to seal. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie and brush with egg wash.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until crust is golden and cooked through. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GREEK SWISS CHARD PIE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens. Wash them in 2 changes of water, lifting them from the water so that the dirt stays behind. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add the chard and blanch for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer to the ice water. Let sit just until cool, a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water by taking up bunches of the greens, making a fist around them and squeezing. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil or butter a 10-inch tart or cake pan (I like to use a ceramic dish for this). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the greens, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir the mixture for a minute, until the greens are coated with oil. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. If you are not using phyllo dough for this, remove 2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs, for brushing the crust, and crumble or blend in the feta. Toss with the greens, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Line the pie dish with two-thirds of the dough, or with 7 pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with butter or oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the greens mixture. If using phyllo, fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded in sheets of phyllo ,then layer the remaining 5 pieces on top, brushing each piece with butter or olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. For pie dough, roll out the other piece of the dough and place over the filling. Crimp the bottom and top edges together, then pinch an attractive fluted edge all the way around the rim of the pie. Brush the top with the beaten egg you set aside, and make a few slashes in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is golden. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

SWISS CHARD PIE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, extra-virgin olive oil, cold water, and coarse salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then turn out onto a work surface and knead 1 minute. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.
• In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add chard stems and red-pepper flakes; cook until stems begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
• Pack chard leaves into pot; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chard leaves wilt, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is soft, about 4 minutes. Drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Place chard mixture in a large bowl and toss with Parmesan, flour, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roll two-thirds the dough to a 12 1/2-inch round; fit into an 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Fill bottom crust with chard mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 9 1/2-inch round; place over filling. Pinch edges of dough together and tuck in to seal; cut several vents into center of pie. Combine yolk with 1 teaspoon water and brush over dough, avoiding edge of pan. Freeze pie.
• To serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Bake frozen pie until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SWISS CHARD AND RICOTTA SLAB PIE

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine the flour, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until mixed. Add about a third of the butter and process until thoroughly combined with no visible chunks of butter (the mixture will be slightly yellow). Add the remaining butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a very coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add the vinegar in a single pulse. Gradually add 1/4 cup ice water through the feed tube, pulsing just until evenly combined. Squeeze a handful of the dough together-it should just hold its shape and be a little crumbly. If still very powdery, pulse again, adding up to 2 tablespoons ice water.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Pat about two thirds of the dough into a square about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining third of dough. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• For the filling: Nest a colander in a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large high-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, chard stems, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer to the colander.
• Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan; add half the chard leaves and a sprinkle of salt. Stir until the leaves are wilted and cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the colander. Repeat with the remaining oil and chard leaves. Press the cooked chard with the back of a large spoon or dry measuring cup to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Let cool completely.
• Whisk together the ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
• To assemble the pie: Adjust an oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish and lightly beat the remaining egg in a small bowl.
• Let the dough pieces stand at room temperature for a few minutes until slightly softened to make rolling easier. Place the larger piece of dough between two large pieces of floured parchment and roll into a rough 14-inch square, 1/8-inch thick (if the dough gets too soft, pop it in the fridge to firm up, then continue rolling). Roll the smaller piece into a rough 11-inch square in the same manner.
• Transfer the larger piece of dough to the prepared baking dish. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the dish, leaving some overhang. Brush the bottom and sides with some of the egg wash. Sprinkle the bottom with breadcrumbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Add the cooled chard and pat down gently. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly on top.
• Put the remaining dough over the filling, lining up the edges with the bottom piece of dough as best you can. Pinch the edges together, trim any excess, then fold and crimp the edges to form a tight seal. Brush the top and edges of the crust with the egg wash and cut decorative slits in the top of the pie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. (If the crust browns too quickly, cover the pie loosely with foil.) Let cool at least 1 hour before serving.

SWISS CHARD PIE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens. Wash them in 2 changes of water, lifting them from the water so that the dirt stays behind. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add the chard and blanch for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer to the ice water. Let sit just until cool, a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water by taking up bunches of the greens, making a fist around them and squeezing. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil or butter a 10-inch tart or cake pan or a ceramic dish. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the greens, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir the mixture for a minute, until the greens are coated with oil. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Stir in the cheese. Stir in the greens, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Line the pie dish with 7 pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with butter or oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the greens mixture. If using phyllo, fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded in sheets of phyllo ,then layer the remaining 5 pieces on top, brushing each piece with butter or olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. Brush the top with the butter or oil, and make a few slashes so that steam can escape as the pie bakes.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is golden. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.
• ADVANCE PREPERATION:
• The blanched greens will keep in the refrigerator in a covered bowl for 3 or 4 days. The dish can be prepared through Step 2 up to a day ahead. Keep the cooked greens in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. You can assemble the pie several hours before baking and keep it in the refrigerator, or freezer. Transfer directly from the freezer to the preheated oven, and increase the baking time by about 10 minutes. The finished tart keeps for a few days, but you must re-crisp the phyllo in a low oven (300º to 325ºF) for 10 to 20 minutes.

SAVORY SWISS CHARD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Spray a 9-inch ceramic pie pan lightly with non-stick spray.
• Wash the chard but do not dry. Remove the center stem from each leaf. Set the leaves aside and chop the stems into small pieces. In a large skillet, sauté the onion and chard stems until softened (about 5 minutes), adding a tablespoon of water if necessary to prevent sticking.
• Meanwhile, cut the chard leaves into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the pan along with the garlic, reduce heat, and cover. Cook until all chard is wilted. Remove from heat. If any water has accumulated, drain it; then spread chard in bottom of prepared pie pan.
• Place tofu and remaining ingredients in a blender, and puree until very smooth. Pour over the chard in the pie pan. Use a spoon to gently open holes through the chard so that the tofu mixture penetrates it. Smooth the top so that tofu layer is even and covers all the chard.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until center is set. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Servings: 4.