This morning’s garden walk inspired something wonderful to happen in the kitchen. I really wanted something where all the greens in the garden would shine. I decided a pie would be the perfect vehicle for all the lovely greens. It is simple, delicious and who doesn’t like pie!
Pies filled with greens are very common all through Europe, whether Germany, Portugal, Italy or Greece. Unfortunately, they are not popular in the USA, yet they are so delicious.
Firstly I picked a lot of greens. They cook down to very little, so pick as much as you want. A little confession, I did not think to measure it, because I seldom measure anything when I cook. I used a mix of longevity spinach, cauliflower leaves, kales, and arugula. The arugula is getting a little overgrown, so this was a good use for it. You could use any mix of greens you have growing. Spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, mallow, squash leaves, nettle, radish tops, mustards, or anything else you may have.
The pictures give an idea of how much I used. I also picked some fresh oregano and thyme to flavor the pie.
I had a sheet of Trader Joes puff pastry in the freezer and put it out to thaw. You could make your own puff pastry or even use a vegan pastry. As the pastry thawed, I worked on turning all the greens into a delicious filling.
I started by sauteeing a small onion in some olive oil, once there was some color on them I added smashed garlic. Thyme, oregano, nutmeg, and some ground clove was also added. Penzeys has a lovely spice blend that works beautifully in winter dishes. It is called Tsar Dust and I definitely recommend using it to flavor this pie. If you use this, omit the nutmeg and cloves. Unfortunately, I did not have any on hand. I do not sweat it if I don’t have all the ingredients needed for something, I will improvise and used something else or leave it out. Cooking should be easy, fun and creative. Work with what you have. While the onions were gently sauteeing, I prepared the greens.
I started with the more dense greens – chopping up the cauliflower leaves and longevity spinach as well as the kale. I should have chopped them a little finer, but it worked out just fine. Once chopped and rinsed they were added to the onions and stirred in before being covered. I added a small amount of salt. Salting is so important to the taste of food. These greens are mineral-rich, and quite salty anyway, so it will not need too much. Add a little pinch at this point. It will help draw out the moisture in the leaves and help them soften. I cooked them down for about twenty minutes before adding the chopped arugula. The greens should be cooked until everything is really tender and the greens are a lovely dark green. Probably thirty- forty-five minutes.
At this point turn off the heat and if you would like you can add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan. Taste for salt again and adjust. You may also want to adjust any of the other spices you have used.
I debated about writing this post, the pie was delicious and I really wanted to share it, but it does not look like the perfect pie, I messed up on putting it together. It started to open in the oven. In the end, I decided to share it anyway because the truth is, not everything that comes out of my kitchen looks or tastes perfect. So I decided to show you my less than perfect looking pie, that was absolutely delicious.
Recipe
A large pile of cleaned and chopped greens
1 small onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3-6 cloves of garlic smashed( according to taste)
1 spring of fresh thyme or 1 tsp of dried thyme
1 large sprig of oregano, chopped
A pinch of hot chili flakes
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Small knob of butter (optional)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese(optional)
Clean and wash a large amount of greens and chop them. Keep denser types separated from those that are more tender. Chop and saute a small onion on medium-low heat in the olive oil. Once they start to color slightly add the garlic, chili, cloves, oregano, and thyme. Add the denser types of greens and add a pinch of salt. Give a stir to incorporate the onions and greens and cover. Check and stir every now and then. Cook for 20 minutes before adding the softer greens. Continue to check every now and then and cook until soft, tender, and dark green. A small amount of water may need to be added if the greens dry out too much and start to catch on the bottom of the pan. The total cooking time will be about thirty to forty- five minutes.
Once cooked, stir in the parmesan or the knob of butter. Vegan butter or parm could easily be substituted.
Leave to cool while preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
When the oven is ready, lightly flour a baking sheet and spread out the pie pastry. Pile on the cooked green in the middle, try not to add all the moisture that may be in the pan. Gather up the edges of the pie, and pinch it together on the top. You looking to form a little parcel. The pastry can be brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I forgot to use the sesame seeds, but that was the plan.
Cook for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is a lovely golden brown. It makes a lovely light lunch for two, or could work for supper with a salad or soup and a glass a of white wine.
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