Swiss Chard Phyllo Pie Recipes

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.

SWISS CHARD PHYLLO PIE

Steps:

• Grate the Comte cheese.
• Peel and grate the potato.
• Fill a large pot with water and put on high heat to boil.
• Wash the Swiss chard and remove the stems.
• Rip or chop up the chard.
• Add the chard to the water for about 4 minutes (until tender).
• Chop the onion while the chard cooks.
• Drain the chard and run under cold water.
• Squeeze out the excess water from the chard.
• Mix chard, onion, potato, cheeses and oregano in a large bowl (optional: add salt and pepper to taste).
• Add lightly beaten eggs (or use egg-beaters to avoid cholesterol like I do).
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Lay out one phyllo dough sheet on a non-stick baking sheet, lightly brush with olive oil.
• Place another phyllo sheet on top of the first, brush with oil.
• Repeat until you have used about five sheets of phyllo dough.
• Spoon the chard mixture onto the middle of the pile of phyllo sheets and spread it out (about 1/2 inch from edges).
• Layer the last five phyllo dough sheets (one by one, brushing each with oil) over the chard mixture.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (phyllo crust should be light brown on edges, and very flaky).

GOAT CHEESE, CHARD AND HERB PIE IN A PHYLLO CRUST

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the Swiss chard. If the stems are wide and meaty set them aside for another purpose. If they are thin and sinewy, discard. When the water comes to a boil salt generously and add the chard leaves. Fill a bowl with cold water. Blanch the chard for 1 minute, just until tender, and transfer to the bowl of cold water. Drain, take up the chard by the handful and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine. You should have about 1 cup chopped cooked chard.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend together the eggs and goat cheese, either in an electric mixer or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the milk and the garlic and blend until smooth. If using a processor, scrape into a bowl. Stir in the blanched chopped chard, the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Brush a 9- or 10-inch tart pan or cake pan with olive oil and place on a baking sheet for easier handling. Open up the package of phyllo and unfold the sheets of dough. Remove 8 sheets of phyllo and fold the remaining dough back up. Wrap tightly in plastic, return to the box if you wish and either refrigerate or freeze. Lay a sheet of phyllo in the pan, tucking it into the seam of the pan, with the edges overhanging the rim. Brush it lightly with olive oil (or melted butter and oil) and turn the pan slightly, then place another sheet on top, positioning it so that the edges overlap another section of the pan's rim. Continue to layer in 6 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with oil - both the bottom and the sides and edges that overhang the pan -- and staggering them so that the overhang on the rim of the pan is evenly distributed and covers the entire pan.
• Pour the goat cheese and chard filling into the phyllo-lined pan, scraping all of it out of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Scrunch the overhanging phyllo in around the edges of the pan to form an attractive lip. Brush the scrunched rim with olive oil. Place in the oven and bake 40 minutes, until the filling is puffed, set and lightly colored on the surface. Remove from the heat (if it puffed up it will settle) and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

CHICKEN, SWEET POTATO AND SWISS CHARD PHYLLO POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat a large, shallow 10-inch cast-iron pan or Dutch oven up over medium-high heat.
• While the pan heats up, cut the chicken thighs into 1 1/2-inch pieces and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper.
• Once the pan is heated, add 2 tablespoons of the ghee and the chicken in a single layer, working in batches and adding more ghee, if needed. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flipping the chicken once halfway, until browned evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs to a plate (the chicken will not be cooked through).
• Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion, garlic and sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant and the onions start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vermouth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add the chard to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to wilt, 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the sweet potato and stock. Stir together and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the mascarpone and Parmesan. Return the chicken to the pan, stir then remove from the heat.
• Place the phyllo sheets on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. Place 1 of the phyllo sheets on a clean work surface then brush or dab with some of the melted butter. Crumple the sheet up like a piece of paper and place on top of the chicken filling. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets until the entire surface of the filling is covered, overlapping the sheets, if necessary. Drizzle any remaining butter on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If the filling under the crust looks too wet, cook on the stove over medium heat to reduce some of the liquid, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the pot pie in the pan.

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.