Savoury Greens Pie

Difficulty:

1/5

Ease of preparation rating: Medium

Yield: 8-10 pieces

Ingredients:

Pastry

3 cups (710 ml) flour
1 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter, chilled
2 tablespoons (30 ml) shortening or lard
1 ½ cups (350 ml) water, room temperature, plus more if needed
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

Filling

1 pound (454 g) Swiss chard, leaves and stems chopped roughly
1 pound (454 g) spinach, chopped
½ cup (120 ml) finely diced pancetta
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 ½ cups (590 ml) freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (240 ml) ricotta cheese
1 cup (240 ml) chopped flat leaf parsley
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground nutmeg

Method:

For the pastry, combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

Add butter, olive oil, and water and mix to combine until the dough forms into the shape of a ball. Add more water if needed.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the filling, add swiss chard to a big pot of salted, boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach and cook for another minute. Strain greens, allow to cool slightly, and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop roughly and set aside.

Fry pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, 5-6 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add oil, butter, and garlic, stirring to combine.

Add wilted, chopped greens, season with salt and pepper, and cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove skillet from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

When slightly cooled, add parmesan, ricotta and parsley, stirring to combine thoroughly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C).

Remove dough from refrigerator and cut into 2 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll both pieces into two large rectangles.

Transfer one piece to a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Top with slightly cooled greens, leaving a 1 ½-inch (4 cm) border.

Top greens with second piece of dough and crimp top and bottom pieces of dough together to enclose greens. Using a fork, poke numerous holes along the top of the dough. Brush with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool before slicing.

Buon appetito!