Hortotiropita Greens And Cheese Pie With Chard Recipes

SWISS CHARD TART WITH GOAT CHEESE, CURRANTS, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score a 1/4-inch border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking one egg yolk with 1/2 teaspoon water, and brush the egg wash along the border. (You will not need all of the egg wash.) Chill the puff pastry in the freezer until ready to use.
• Tear the chard into large pieces.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the shallots, and the thyme. Sauté a few minutes, and add half the Swiss chard. Cook a minute or two, tossing the greens in the oil to help them wilt. Add the second half of the greens, and season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender.
• Spread the greens on a baking sheet or platter to cool. (You may want to put them in the refrigerator, so they cool more quickly.) When they've cooled, squeeze the excess water out with your hands.
• Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth, and remove to a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the crème fraîche, and season with a healthy pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry inside the scored border. Crumble half the goat cheese over the ricotta, arrange the greens on top, and sprinkle the remaining goat cheese over the tart. If you aren't ready to bake, cover the tart with plastic and chill.
• Bake the tart for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Check underneath the tart to make sure the crust is really cooked through (if you under-bake the tart, it will be soggy).
• Cool a few minutes, and then transfer the tart to a cutting board. Spoon some of the currant-pine nut relish over the tart and serve it on the cutting board at the table. Pass the remaining currant-pine nut relish in a small bowl for anyone who would like a little more.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toast the pine nuts for about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they're golden brown and smell nutty.
• Heat a small sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the olive oil, rosemary, and chile. When the rosemary and chile start to sizzle, add the onion and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat down to low, and let the onions stew gently for about 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a small bowl to cool and discard the rosemary sprig and chile.
• While the onion is cooking, place the currants in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let the currants soak for 10 minutes, and then drain well.
• Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan the onions were in, and reduce it over medium-high heat to a scant 1 tablespoon. Stir the reduced vinegar into the onion mixture.
• Add the toasted pine nuts, currants, and parsley to the onion mixture, and stir to combine. Taste for balance and seasoning.
• Assemble the tart in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before you're ready to serve. You can make the currant-pine nut relish in the morning.

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.

GREEK-STYLE DINNER PIE WITH LEFTOVER GREENS

Steps:

• In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• If using raw greens, add, stirring until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes depending on which greens are used. If using cooked greens, add, stirring just until heated. Add parsley and dill, and season with salt and pepper to taste
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 10-inch tart or pie pan with oil. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the feta and the greens mixture, and stir to combine.
• Spread a sheet of phyllo across the pan, so that the edges of it drape evenly over the pan. Gently fit the center of it into the base of the pan. Quickly and lightly, brush the phyllo with butter. Repeat with seven more sheets of phyllo, stacking them one on top of the other so that they form an asterisk pattern.
• Fill with the greens mixture, and fold the draped edges over to enclose the filling. Top with the remaining four sheets of phyllo, buttering each one, and again stacking in an asterisk pattern. Fold the edges under so that the dough extends about an inch beyond the rim of the pan, and then tuck the dough slightly into the pan, while rolling and twisting the edge under to shape a crust. Using a sharp knife, make several slashes through the top of the pie into the filling to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes.
• Bake the pie until the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. For a crispy crust, this is best served the same day baked.