Wild Greens Pie
A gluten-free, paleo-friendly twist on the original (and slightly famous) Wild Greens Pie from Crete.
Hello from the coldest, windiest patch in my vegetable garden. While there aren’t many perks to this ongoing hailstorm in Melbourne, I am pleased to say that my leafy green vegetable bed is growing in quite spectacular fashion. So much so, that I now have an abundance of bitter greens, wild spinach and silverbeet sprouting like steroids from our garden bed.
While I have been pondering the excess-greens conundrum, I flicked upon an old Cretan Pie recipe that I’d kept tucked away. I should disclose that I love Crete - it’s one of the most exquisite islands in Greece, and also a unique blue zone with a population renowned for their good health and longevity. Horta and wild greens are a mainstay of their diet, and I learnt to cook this Wild Greens Pie several years ago whilst I travelled there.
I confess that I have taken a few liberties here - I’ve changed the pastry to a gluten-free, paleo-friendly version and also mixed up the fetta with mozzarella (blasphemy if you are Greek, I am sorry). Yet, on the bright side, my kids love it, and while they turn their noses up at most green vegetable dishes, a hearty Wild Greens Pie is always a winner.
What I’m Loving This Week:
I have ordered my VERY OWN elderberry bush (woohoo!) following last week’s post. We are currently redesigning our garden and I’m focusing heavily on medicinal herbs and edible varieties of plants. The elderberry is quite unique; the leaves, berries and bark can all be used for a variety of purposes, and the berries (which grow in abundance) are most potent when slow-cooked and prepared into an elderberry syrup or jelly. For your winter medicine cabinet, this is well worth having on hand as cold and flu season approaches.
On this note, I’ve also upped my stash of medicinal aloe vera and white sage. Take a look at my earlier articles on how these plants can improve gut health and restore good energy in your home. Sage tea is also a good place to start if you are needing a morning pick-me-up, or gentle stimulant that’s caffeine free.
On the theme of winter darkness and home remedies, I also recently indulged in a ‘surprise candle box’ from Simply Grace. This is a soy-based candle brand with a lovely story behind it. And while I am trying to create a warming environment of Hygge in our dark and frosty home this winter, the home-made candles have been a lovely starting point. Take a look at her store here.
Recipe: Wild Greens Pie
This recipe involves a super easy plonk-and-mix pastry mix, combined with a traditional wild greens filling. You can use any greens that you like - horta, spinach, silverbeet or wild nettles, but I have found that the combination of silverbeet and spinach in a ratio of 3:1 works best. And if I were to make this pie again next week, I’d add some additional wild weeds, such as stinging nettles or wild spinach.
Note - I used a 30cm apple pie dish for this recipe. But, if you are using a smaller or larger dish, make sure to adjust the quantities accordingly.
Prepare the Pastry-
2 cups chickpea flour
1 1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (switch to bicarb soda if paleo)
2 medium-sized eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 generous teaspoons honey
In a food processor, combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Turn the speed to low and gently pour in the honey, olive oil, lemon juice and egg. Mix well until crumbs form, and then divide the mixture into two balls of pastry, and set one aside. If the mixture feels too sticky, rub your hands with a little tapioca flour before rolling it out.
Lay out two sheets of grease-proof paper and place the first pastry ball in the centre of one sheet. Lay the second sheet of paper over the top and use a rolling pin to roll the pastry out flat.
Place this sheet of pastry in the freezer for ten minutes, so that it becomes firm, and will separate easily from the grease-proof paper.
Next, use your fingers to apply a thin layer of butter over the pie dish. Take the pastry from the freezer and peel back the layers of grease-proof paper. Spread the pastry over the pie dish and check for any holes or gaps.
Place the dish in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celcius and bake for just under ten minutes. This will make the pastry slightly crispy, but not fully cooked. Set the pie dish aside while you prepare the rest of the pastry and pie filling.
Repeat the same process with the second ball of pastry - rolling it out, then storing it in the freezer. Set this aside until the filling is ready.
Make the Filling -
wild greens (I used 300g silverbeet and 100g wild spinach)
2 minced garlic cloves
squeeze of lemon juice
200g soft fetta cheese, chopped into small 1cm cubes
150g mozzarella cheese, chopped into small 1cm cubes
2 eggs
pinch of salt and pepper
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic, salt, pepper and set aside.
Steam the greens - allowing them to wilt and lose their volume. Drain well and squeeze out any excess liquid.
Combine the greens with the eggs, cheeses and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well using a large spoon.
Assemble the Pie -
Pour the filling into the pie dish, making sure that it is spread evenly and flat as possible on the top surface.
Remove the paper from the second batch of pastry and drape this over the pie dish. Trim and pinch the edges so it sits snugly. Then prick with a fork across the centre so that air can be released while cooking.
Place pie in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, or until pastry is lightly browned and crisp.
Enjoy and serve immediately ☺️
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