Chard Ricotta Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the flour, Parmesan, mascarpone, salt, cayenne and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse, pulse, pulse, until it looks very dry and crumbly--what I like to call the Parmesan stage. Add the eggs and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Coat a large saute pan generously with olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and is very aromatic remove it and discard, it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the Swiss chard stems, leeks and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and season with salt. When the water has evaporated and the stems and leeks are soft, add the leaves. Season the leaves with salt and saute until they are very soft and wilted. Remove from the heat and allow the Swiss chard to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, cayenne and the Swiss chard mixture. Mix to thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (it will). Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let warm up for about 10 to 15 minutes, this will make it really much easier to roll out.
• Dust a large clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a large circle about 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a large sheet try lined with parchment paper. Lay the dough out flat, don't worry about the overhang on the sides. Put the filling in a large circle in the center of the rolled out dough leaving a 3 to 4-inch border of dough along the outside edge. Fold the dough up around the filling to make a "free-form pie". Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until the crust is firm, golden brown and shiny, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing, this will allow it to up for easier slicing.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.
• What a delightful lunch!!!

Steps:

• Crust: Pulse flour, oats, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk; pulse until dough just holds together, 15 to 20 seconds.
• Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Filling: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add chard stems, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until stems are soft and slightly brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar and cook, stirring, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in raisins. Transfer mixture to a nonreactive bowl.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high. Add anchovies, if using; cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Stir in thyme. Add chard leaves and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat both cheeses with 2 tablespoons cream until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a large sheet of parchment, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick round, about 15 inches in diameter. Arrange onion mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 3-inch border. Spread ricotta mixture over onion mixture; top with chard mixture. Fold edges of dough over and gently press down to seal. Transfer tart (still on parchment) to a baking sheet. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, beat together egg yolk and remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Brush exposed dough with egg wash. Bake until crust is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 1/2 pie plate (use a glass deep-dish).
• Clean chard well. Separate stems from leaves; cut off bottom 2 inches of stems. Slice stems thin and coarsly chop leaves.
• Using a 12 inch skillet, heat oil. When hot, add stems and stirring frequently until browned (about 5 minutes). Add onions, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add leaves and cook about 5 minutes, sitrring frequently until wilted and any water is gone.
• Wisk together in a large bowl the eggs, milk, ricotta, parmesan cheese and cornstarch; then add chard mix.
• Pour into prepared pie plate. Bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from center comes out clean.

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine the flour, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until mixed. Add about a third of the butter and process until thoroughly combined with no visible chunks of butter (the mixture will be slightly yellow). Add the remaining butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a very coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add the vinegar in a single pulse. Gradually add 1/4 cup ice water through the feed tube, pulsing just until evenly combined. Squeeze a handful of the dough together-it should just hold its shape and be a little crumbly. If still very powdery, pulse again, adding up to 2 tablespoons ice water.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Pat about two thirds of the dough into a square about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining third of dough. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• For the filling: Nest a colander in a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large high-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, chard stems, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer to the colander.
• Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan; add half the chard leaves and a sprinkle of salt. Stir until the leaves are wilted and cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the colander. Repeat with the remaining oil and chard leaves. Press the cooked chard with the back of a large spoon or dry measuring cup to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Let cool completely.
• Whisk together the ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
• To assemble the pie: Adjust an oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish and lightly beat the remaining egg in a small bowl.
• Let the dough pieces stand at room temperature for a few minutes until slightly softened to make rolling easier. Place the larger piece of dough between two large pieces of floured parchment and roll into a rough 14-inch square, 1/8-inch thick (if the dough gets too soft, pop it in the fridge to firm up, then continue rolling). Roll the smaller piece into a rough 11-inch square in the same manner.
• Transfer the larger piece of dough to the prepared baking dish. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the dish, leaving some overhang. Brush the bottom and sides with some of the egg wash. Sprinkle the bottom with breadcrumbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Add the cooled chard and pat down gently. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly on top.
• Put the remaining dough over the filling, lining up the edges with the bottom piece of dough as best you can. Pinch the edges together, trim any excess, then fold and crimp the edges to form a tight seal. Brush the top and edges of the crust with the egg wash and cut decorative slits in the top of the pie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. (If the crust browns too quickly, cover the pie loosely with foil.) Let cool at least 1 hour before serving.