Cheery Greens Pie

This recipe is a mash-up of Ina Garten’s Spinach in Puff Pastry and Anna Jones’s Double Greens and Phyllo Pie. I call mine “Cheery” because it’s made in response to the joy I felt when my Seattle Farm Box arrived last Sunday full of the freshest local greens, radishes, oyster mushrooms and eggs. I made this pie from spinach and kale, but could just as easily used chard, turnip greens and collards.

Puff pastry is much less fussy to work with than phyllo, though phyllo is lower in fat. But I figure by the time you paste butter or oil between the layers of pastry you are about even with puff pastry in terms of total fat. This dish is great for lunch or supper accompanied by a tomato salad.

Ingredients

• 9 ounces (250g) kale, leaves separated from the tough stalk and spine, torn into smaller pieces, washed and dried.
• 9 ounces (250g) spinach, chopped, washed and dried. (I use a salad spinner to dry my greens)
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped.
• grated zest of one whole lemon.
• 3 eggs + 1 for pastry wash.
• 6-7 ounces feta (200g). I like sheep’s milk feta better than cow’s milk, but either works here.
• 1 small handful of fresh parsley, chopped.
• Some chopped fresh dill.
• 1 box of frozen puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions. I use Aussie Brands, which is widely available here in Seattle.
• Lemon wedges.
• salt and pepper.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (200°C).
2. Put a 12″ (30cm) nonstick skillet on the stove and heat it with a good swig of olive oil on medium heat.
3. Sauté the onions until softened but not turning brown.
4. Add about half the kale and stir fry until it shrinks down enough to add the rest of it.
5. Once the kale has wilted, add the spinach and continue to cook until it too is wilted.
6. Turn off the heat. Add lemon zest and salt, about a 1/2 teaspoon. Add a couple of good grinds of black pepper. I also like to add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
7. Set aside and let the mixture cool.
8. Crack three eggs into a mixing bowl and beat gently with a fork until the whites and yolks are mixed.
9. Crumble the feta into the bowl with the eggs. Add the chopped parsely and dill. Once the greens have cooled to room temperature, add them too. Stir to combine everything evenly.
10. Break the fourth egg into a small bowl with a tablespoon of water for egg wash. Beat gently with a fork.
11. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
12. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry and place it on the parchment paper. Roll it a bit if you have to in order make it even in thickness. When I made this the other day, I had trouble unfolding the pastry so I used a rolling pin to shape it into a rectangle.
13. Spread the filling onto the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border.
14. Roll out the second piece of pastry on a floured board, making it an inch longer and wider than the first sheet.
15. Place the second sheet over the greens and seal the edges, crimping with your fingers and a fork.
16. Brush the top with the egg wash. Make three slits into the top of the pie.
17. Sprinke with sea salt and pepper. You can also spinkle on sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
18. Bake for 30-40 minutes. The pie is ready when the pastry is lightly browned.
19. Serve hot or room temperature accompanied by lemon wedges. Don’t skip the lemon. It makes the greens shine, and the vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from the greens.