Greek Greens Pie

Meet Denise Roa the Executive Chef at Rancho La Peurta

Denise Roa gave a cooking class to begin our day, Saturday May 10.  The recipes were given to us which I will share with you.  The vegetables used at the Ranch kitchen are grown in the Organic Garden.

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Greek Greens Pie

Pastry:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

8 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (earth Balance)

6 tablespoons ice water

1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

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Greens:

1 bunch black kale

1 bunch mustard greens

1 bunch chard

1 bunch spinach

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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more if needed

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, optional

1 large leek, washed well, sliced thin

1 cup sliced scallions

3/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt

1 large egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 large egg yolk + 1 teaspoon water

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For The Pastry:

Measure both flours and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Cut both fats into 1/2 inch cubes and add to work bowl.  Pulse 4 times, one full second each.  Combine the ice water and vinegar.  Start pulsing very rapidly as you gradually add the liquid through the feed tube.

Pulse until dough forms large clumps but does not actually gather into a ball.  Remove dough from processor and place on lightly floured surface.  Divide in two, one piece slightly larger than the other, form each into a disk, enclose in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

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For the greens:  bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil.  Remove stems from the greens and wash well.  Cut greens into largish pieces and keep each type separate.  Add the kale to the pot, cover, and cook 2 minutes.  Add the chard and cook 2 minutes.  Add the mustard greens and spinach, cover and cook 4 minutes.  Drain well and transfer greens to a large bowl of cold water.  When cool, drain, and squeeze as much water as you can from the greens. You should have 12 ounces of blanched greens.  Chop them fine.

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Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the red pepper flakes, if using, and the leek and scallions.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the chopped greens, and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.  If vegetables seem dry and want to stick to the pan, add small amounts of water as needed.  Take the pan off the heat and cool completely.   Add the cheeses, dill, and parsley.  Taste carefully for salt and add if needed.  Stir in the eggs.  

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Adjust oven rack to the lowest position, set a heavy baking sheet on it, and preheat the oven to 450^ F degrees.

Roll the larger piece of chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to a 13 inch circle and fit into a glass 9" pie plate.  Trim excess pastry so it has a 1/2" overhang.  Fill the pastry with the greens.  Brush edge of pastry with ice water and cover with top crust.  Trim to match the bottom crust and press to seal.  Fold edge to make a rounded rim, flatten slightly, and score with back of knife.  Brush with egg yolk, make four slits in top of pie, and place pie in oven.

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Bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees.  Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until crust is nicely browned and pie is cooked through.

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Cool 10 to 15 minutes and cut into 16 wedges.  Serve with arugula salad dressed with shallot sherry vinaigrette.