Chard Spanakopita Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Shred the chard leaves, then tip into a large pan over a medium heat with 2 tbsp water. Cook for a few minutes until just wilted. Remove from the heat, drain and leave to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water using your hands or in kitchen paper. Transfer the chard leaves to a large bowl.
• Roughly chop the chard stalks. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the pan and fry the stalks over a medium heat with the spring onions for 8 mins until softened. Tip into the bowl with the chard leaves.
• Crumble the feta into the bowl and season, then mix in the dill, mint, lemon zest, nutmeg and eggs.
• Unwrap the filo pastry (you'll have about seven sheets) and lay one of the sheets into the base of a medium roasting tin (our was 30 x 25cm). Brush with a little of the remaining olive oil and place another sheet on top. Repeat until you've used four sheets (or about half the filo) and half the remaining olive oil. Spoon the chard filling over the filo and gently spread out to cover. Lay another sheet of filo on top, brush with more oil and repeat until you've used all the remaining filo pastry and almost all of the olive oil. Trim the pastry, if needed, or tuck it under to form a pie. Will keep frozen for up to two months. Defrost completely before cooking. Brush with the last of the olive oil and bake for 35-40 mins until golden. Leave to cool slightly and serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• In a 3-quart/9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss the chopped spinach, arugula, herbs and scallion greens with 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Squeeze the mixture with your hands to wilt, then set aside.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
• Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and pasta water and stir until smooth. Stir in the wilted greens, half the mozzarella and half the feta until combined. Stir in the pasta until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Transfer the pasta to the baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella and feta. Bake until the sauce has thickened and bubbly and the top has browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crisper top, broil for a few minutes.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens. Wash them in 2 changes of water, lifting them from the water so that the dirt stays behind. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add the chard and blanch for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer to the ice water. Let sit just until cool, a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water by taking up bunches of the greens, making a fist around them and squeezing. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil or butter a 10-inch tart or cake pan (I like to use a ceramic dish for this). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the greens, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir the mixture for a minute, until the greens are coated with oil. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. If you are not using phyllo dough for this, remove 2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs, for brushing the crust, and crumble or blend in the feta. Toss with the greens, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Line the pie dish with two-thirds of the dough, or with 7 pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with butter or oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the greens mixture. If using phyllo, fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded in sheets of phyllo ,then layer the remaining 5 pieces on top, brushing each piece with butter or olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. For pie dough, roll out the other piece of the dough and place over the filling. Crimp the bottom and top edges together, then pinch an attractive fluted edge all the way around the rim of the pie. Brush the top with the beaten egg you set aside, and make a few slashes in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is golden. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Steps:

• Pierce the potatoes a few times with a fork. Microwave until softened but not completely cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then peel and finely chop; transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and Swiss chard leaves and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain, then let cool in the colander, tossing occasionally and lightly pressing with a rubber spatula to remove the excess liquid. When cool enough to handle, transfer the greens to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Coarsely chop and add to the bowl with the potatoes.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Swiss chard stems, onion, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and the spinach-chard mixture; cook, stirring, until well incorporated, 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Add the cheeses, mint, dill, egg and lemon zest; stir to combine. (You can make the filling 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.)
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface with a long side facing you (keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel). Lightly brush with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Fold in half like a book and brush with more olive oil and sprinkle with more breadcrumbs, then fold the top half down. Place 1/2 cup filling in the center and brush the edges with a little water. Bring the top two corners together over the filling and pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat with the bottom two corners; pinch closed. Pinch the two remaining edges closed. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Repeat to make 8 hand pies.
• Transfer the hand pies to the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
• Add white onion; sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Add green onions and garlic, and sauté 1 minute.
• Stir in chard; cook 2 minutes or until chard wilts.
• Stir in parsley and mint, and cook 1 minute. Place in a large bowl; cool slightly.
• Stir in cheeses, salt, pepper, and egg whites.
• Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying), and coat with cooking spray.
• Top with 1 phyllo sheet, and coat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 3 additional sheets.
• Cut phyllo stack into a 14-inch square. Place square in center of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, allowing phyllo to extend up long sides of dish.
• Cut 14 x 4-inch piece into 2 (7 x 4-inch) rectangles.
• Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise.
• Place a rectangle against each short side of dish.
• Spread the chard mixture evenly over phyllo.
• Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying), and coat with cooking spray.
• Top with 1 phyllo sheet, and coat with cooking spray.
• Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo sheets. Place 18 x 14-inch phyllo stack over chard mixture.
• Fold phyllo edges into center. Coat with cooking spray.
• Score phyllo by making 2 lengthwise cuts and 3 crosswise cuts to form 12 rectangles. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until golden.
• Note: Cut the phyllo stacks so they fit in and up the long side of the baking dish. Arrange folded section against short edges of dish to encase filling.