Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Spring Greenstuff: Swiss Chard Pie










Visiting our local market today, there was such an incredible variety of vegetables on display that it was hard to choose.

What caught my eye was a wonderful  fresh and crunchy Swiss Chard.

This  humble but delicious greenstuff has been around for centuries  and has a high contain of vitamin A and C, minerals ,fiber and proteins.

Its slightly bitter taste fades with cooking and gives way to an amazing, delicate flavor.

I usually prepare the filling with a bit of heavy cream, but this time I opted for a more natural approach, letting the fine aroma of the Swiss Chard and Spinach play the main role.

To prepare the Swiss Chard Pie

You need:

For the dough:

300g (10.5 oz.)  flour

½  tea spoon  salt

150g (5.2oz.) cold butter cut in small cubes

1 large egg

1 1/4 spoonful  water

For the filling:

750 g Swiss Chard (large stems removed)  

250g Baby spinach

2 spoonful olive oil

1¼ cup onions cut in small cubes (I used half red and half white onions)
1 red pepper,chopped

4 eggs

1 cup  roughly grated Gruyere cheese

¼ finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup roasted pine nuts
Preparation:

Mix flour and salt.

Add the cold butter cubes and with your fingertips gently blend the butter into the flower.

Delicately knead the dough until the flour has a uniform color.

Beat the egg slightly, mold a whole in the middle of the dough and add  the egg and

 a spoonful of water.

Knead thoroughly until smooth,

Note: do not overprocess, otherwise the crust will toughen.

Shape into a ball and cover with cling film.

Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to three days.

Between 2 cling film sheets roll out dough and place into a greased pie pan.

Press mixture into bottom and up side of the pan.

Use a fork to make wholes over the bottom of the pastry

 Filling:

Wash chard and spinach, remove large stems.
In the meantime boil water in a large pot.

Cook the chard only for about 1 minute or until chard wilts.

Repeat the same procedure with the spinach.( the spinach might take a few seconds less than the chard until it wilts.)

Mix spinach with chard, drain the water and press out excess liquid.

Chop chard and spinach roughly. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté onions and red pepper until glazed.

Add chopped greenstuff, salt and pepper slightly, stir well, then combine carefully the whole eggs and the Gruyere cheese with the vegetable mix.

Pour chard mixture over the prepared crust,
 top with grated Parmesan and  bake in preheated oven at 180°C (370 F)  ,about 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is set.

Wait about 10 to 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle with roasted pine nuts.
Serves 8-10.
Enjoy! See you next Tuesday.



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20 comments:

  1. Yup, using my leftover Swiss chard to make this pie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Yummy,
    glad this recipe can be of use for you :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This looks delicious! I'm going to pin it so I remember during Swiss chard season.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Amy for your kind feedback!
      Always great to hear from you:)

      Delete
  4. I love Swiss chard! We haven't planted any yet in our garden (it's been so cold we're behind) but we always grow a bunch. I'll definitely remember this recipe in a few months when we have way too much Swiss chard, and are looking for new ways to prepare it! Good stuff - thanks.

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  5. Hi John,
    it's fantastic that you have your own garden where you can grow your veggies!
    I forgot that for you the Swiss chard season has not started yet, for us it's the seasonal vegetable right now.
    Thanks for your kind feedback and for stopping by!

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  6. We don't get Swiss chard often but your pie is making me change my mind. I love spinach pie made similarly, so loved that you included spinach in yours. Great recipe thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Nancy,
    you are right, the recipe can be perfectly prepared with spinach only as well.
    Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I've seen Swiss chard but I have to admit that I haven't picked up from market before. I just simply don't know what/how to use it for, but the pie sounds like a winner! I might cheat and make with pie sheet first... I haven't made my own pie before. I know I know, I have a lot to do in terms of baking. Heehee! Thanks for the beautiful recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nami,
      You have always such stunning recipes so there is absolutly nothing to regret in terms of baking :)
      Thanks for your great feedback!

      Delete
  9. we must be on the same food wavelength this week - we both posted swiss chard recipes! your pie sounds so wonderfully delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jenn,
      isn't that incredible?
      By the way, I love your Swiss Chard Chips recipe as I had some Swiss Chard left over I tried it at once.
      Very tasty, congrats :)

      Delete
  10. A lovely spring meal. Wish my husband would enjoy Swiss chard as much as I do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie,
      The same goes for my son : he is not really a huge Swiss Chard fan.
      For the rest of my family: they love it!
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  11. Hi Daniela, arhh.... finally I manage to click on your comment box, I'd been trying for the past 3 days. My side got hiccups. :(

    Very interesting recipe, something new to me. But it look very inviting and awesome. I'm sure it taste heavenly. Thanks for the step by step pictures. I love the presentation. :)

    Have a lovely weekend, warm regards. Hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia,
      Thanks so much for making me notice that there is some difficulty entering my page and comment box.
      Now that you mentioned I checked
      the problem and will try to fix it ASAP.
      I'm glad you liked the recipe, have a great weekend!

      Delete
  12. Daniela, everything about your Swiss Chard Pie appeals to me. Going to pin this one. Love the colorful ingredients in the filling, and the cheeses--Yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kathleen, happy you like
      the recipe!
      Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  13. Wow, that looks amazing! I love Swiss Chard, what a fun way to prepare it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kristy,
      There seems to be quite a Swiss chard fan community around :)
      Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete

 
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