Swiss Chard Pie

Thank you Martha (love her) and Everyday Food for another yummy, simple inspiration. I've modified the original recipe based on my likings and what I had on hand. They suggest freezing the entire assembled pie and then baking it off, straight from the freezer. I baked it fresh and it was delicious. It reheated perfectly in the oven the next night as well.

The dough is an olive oil dough which makes it exceptionally pliable and easy to handle. I was surprised that the flavor of the Oil came through so much in the finished pie. So, use a good Extra Virgin here as it really makes a difference.

Even though the pie looks substantial and impressive, it's actually fairly light considering it's mainly greens inside. I'd serve it for a light dinner with a salad or maybe with a pureed soup, for a more substantial meal.

Enjoy!

Swiss Chard Pie:

yields 1, 8"x 2" pie/ about 8 slices

For the dough-

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup cold water

3/4 tsp sea salt

1) In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir with a fork to combine. Then, turn out onto a work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover dough ball tightly with plastic wrap and lest rest at room temperature, about 30 minutes, while you prepare the filling.

For the Chard filling-

2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 pounds Swiss Chard, stems cut into small dice and leaves roughly chopped

1 TB tomato paste

1/2 tsp red chile flakes

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

3 TB Flour

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 recipe Olive Oil Dough (above)

egg wash (1 whole egg, 1 tsp water, pinch salt.... whisk together)

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large Dutch Oven, heat oil over medium high. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Add chard stems & red chile flakes and saute until just softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. 

2) Pack the chard leaves into the pot. Season with salt & pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until the chard leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat and cook, stirring constantly, until chard is very soft, about 3 minutes more and most of the liquid has evaporated.

3) Place the chard in a large mixing bowl and toss with Parmesan, flour, and lemon zest. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.

4) Roll out 2/3 of the dough on a well floured board to about 12 1/2" diameter. Fit the crust into an 8" x 2" cake pan, taking care to push the dough tightly in where the bottom meets the sides, to eliminate any air pockets. Fill the bottom crust with the chard mixture.

5) Roll out the remaining dough to about 9 1/2" diameter circle. Places the top crust over the filling. Pinch the top and bottom edges together and roll under, towards the middle of the pie, to seal. Cut several vents in the center of the pie. Brush the top with the egg wash.

6) Bake the pie in the 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until it's a rich golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble up through the vents. Serve warm or at room temperature.