I cooked this over medium heat, covered, until the greens were wilted down. I sprinkled on some sea salt and my new favorite seasoning, Turkish Aleppo pepper, which has a little heat and a whole lot of flavor. I used about a half teaspoon, but adjust this according to your own heat tolerance:
I took the greens off the heat to let them cool, and then built the base of the phyllo pie. I melted two tablespoons of light butter (of course it is fine to use regular butter, or olive oil, or for the fat-phobic cook you can also use cooking spray) and brushed and layered eight sheets of phyllo into a 9-inch cake pan, rotating so all sides had hanging dough edges:
I then filled this with the cooled greens and sprinkled on some feta cheese (a scant cup):
Fold over the hanging edges of phyllo to make a rustic-tart top, and brush the top with some melted butter:
I baked the pie in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Essentially you just want a nicely-browned top on the finished pie:
Let it cool for ten minutes and then cut into wedges and dig in. It was crunchy and cheesy and fairly decadent tasting, and such a great way to eat our greens.
Phyllo is really pretty easy to work with, so if you haven’t tried it for an everyday meal, give it a shot. The key thing is to keep it from drying out while you are working with it, so cover the sheets with a slightly damp towel as you work. You also need to use it fairly soon after you have taken it from the package, and my solution was to use the remaining sheets to make a pseudo-Baklava made with finely chopped walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, and two layers of spiced apple jam in place of honey. I would show you the final result but we ate it too quickly…
Thanks for reading!
-Angela
As the one who quite hoggishly devoured much of this pie, I feel compelled to add my thoughts. Indeed, this is a "pie"– but it could also be called "spanokopita with a twist." Chard and beets are in the same plant family as the traditional spanokopita filling (spinach), but the greens have a slightly more bitter taste thanks to their greater oxalic acid content. Combining their taste with the rich saltiness of the feta, and the moderate heat of the Aleppo pepper, made for a fabulous pie!
Ooh, Angela, this sounds very good. Got any ideas for Kale? I am getting kale with my "Farm Fresh Delivery" order, and the only thing I've ever used it for is a garnish!
Michele, I love kale! I like to use it in soup, especially–I will be sure to post my potato kale soup recipe the next time we get a bunch of kale from the CSA. Also great tossed with pasta and white beans.
Sounds yummy and quite simple.