Can’t miss with this Swiss chard pie
Can a rustic-looking savory pie made with Swiss chard be that good?
Swiss chard is a spring and fall crop that tastes a tad like spinach but with a little edge to it. Right now is the time to grab some!
This vegetable, often sporting elephant size leaves and varied rainbow-colored stems, is often overlooked in the produce aisle and does not get the glamorous runway attention that other veggies do. But it is a gem just waiting to be discovered. Easy to cook and loaded with vitamins, it has a lot going for it as a dense filling for a slightly sweetened, easy-tomake pastry dough.
And if you are already thinking about what to add to your holiday menu, this could be the surprise at the table.
SWISS CHARD PIE
For the filling:
• K cup raisins or candied citron, chopped
• 2 pounds Swiss chard or spinach, stemmed and washed
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese, well drained
• K teaspoon salt
• K teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons sugar
For the pastry dough:
• 1 N cup flour
• N cup potato starch or cornstarch
• N teaspoon salt
• N cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 2 large eggs, divided
• 2 teaspoons of water or more
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
Place the raisins in a large bowl and set aside.
Put the washed Swiss chard in a soup pot with no additional water. Cover the pot and cook over medium low heat just until the leaves wilt down; this will take about 4 minutes. Drain the leaves in a colander and squeeze them with the back of a spoon to extract as much water as possible. Finely chop the leaves and add them to the bowl with the raisins. Stir in the drained ricotta cheese, salt, nutmeg and sugar. Mix well, then cover and refrigerate while you make the dough.
To prepare the dough, in a food processor or bowl, mix together the flour, potato starch, salt and sugar. Pulse in the butter or use a pastry blender to reduce the butter to small bits. Add 1 of the eggs and the water and pulse or mix until a ball of dough is obtained that is moist but holds together. If the dough seems dry, add 1 drop of water at a time until you get the right consistency. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter or spray a 9inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Set it aside.
Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half on a floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Fold one dough circle in quarters, then lift it and unfold it, draping it into the tart pan. Trim the dough even with the top edge of the tart pan. Add the filling to the tart pan, spreading it evenly. Fold the second piece of dough in quarters, place it on top of the filling at the center, then unfold the dough and trim it even with the edges. Reroll the scraps of dough and use a cookie cutter to make cutouts for the top of the pastry. Beat the remaining egg slightly and with a pastry brush paint the top crust evenly with the egg wash. With scissors make a V in the center of the crust. Sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the top.
Bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Cool the pie on a rack for 20 minutes before serving.
Makes one 9-inch pie.