Next Up: Torta di Bietola
The chard patch is nearing its end in the garden, and what better way to bid it farewell than with a savory Italian chard and egg tart? That’s not a rhetorical question — I really want to know! Thanks to reader Jud for the inspiration.
Great idea Joe, I can almost hear the tarantella
playing right now! Thank Jud for me will ya, and
thank you too, (molte grazie)! Pizza form would be
nice, with or without red sauce, a free form tart, or
a fritatta. I’ve never seen it put into a savory type
cake form, but I’m sure it can be done, even with
corn meal (polenta). Once you saute’ chard with oil
and garlic, put on mozzarella, ricotta, parmagiana
cheese, and toasted pignoli nuts, its got to be good!
It would taste good if you put it on the back of your
hand! Well i’m sure whatever you got planned, it’s got to
be delicioso! Ciao Guiseppe!
Good ideas all — there’s already some pizza on the site (look under the Breads menu) but a frittata is an interesting idea. Keep the ideas a-comin’!
Oh Joe, How about calzones also?
Hmm…I’ll add it to the list! Another good idea, Ben!
I use swiss chard as an alternative to kale in”Lolly’s Kale Pie.” This wonderful pie uses egg to bind sauteed greens, onion, garlic, and feta. I use Paula Wolford’s Pâte Brisée recipe for the shell and top. When I use chard I also add dill and lemon zest.
Lolly’s Kale Pie, swiss chard edition
(For the record, Lolly has never made this pie. Her kale pie is a vegetarian version of Marian Morash’s Kale Pie from the Victory Garden cookbook. However I tried to copy Lolly’s pie from memory got all mixed up, came up with this. And I named it for her. Because.)
Crust to line and cover a 10″ pie, your own or ready-made
1 lb swiss chard
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (about 1 large or 2 small cloves)
4 eggs
8 oz Feta cheese, chopped or crumbled
1 tsp salt
Finely minced zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp dill weed (dried)
freshly ground pepper (about 1/2 tsp)
1/3 cup milk (any fat content)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Wash, and stem the chard. Stem the chard by folding the leaves right along the stem and pulling the stem away. Chop the stems like celery; you will use them in the pie. Blanch and drain the chard leaves.
Sauté the chard stems in 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat, then add the leaves. You want to evaporate the moisture in the leaves, then set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, reduce heat to moderate and sauté the onion until wilted. Add the garlic and cook another minute, then add the cooked onion and garlic to the kale.
While these are cooling, divide the pie dough into unequal halves. Use the larger half to line a 10″ pie pan and roll out the smaller half for the upper crust.
Lightly beat the four eggs. Reserve about a tablespoon to mix with a tablespoon of milk for a glaze. Add to the remaining beaten egg the cheese, salt, pepper, and milk. Mix thoroughly.
Fold the kale and onions into the custard then pour into the pastry-lined pie pan. Moisten the pastry on the rim of the pan and place the upper crust into place. Trim and crimp the pastry to seal the edges. Brush with the egg and milk glaze.
Bake in the pre-heated 350° oven for 1 hour.
Ze permutations, they are…how do you say…infinite. Thanks Letitia!