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09/25/2001 Archived Entry: "Greens, Potato and Feta Pie"

It has been so long since I last saw today’s “Food Talk” guest that I almost forgot how beautiful she is. Jeanne Lemlin jokingly attributes her easy-on-the-eyes aging to her rather vegetarian diet. Author of several wonderful vegetarian cookbooks including her newest, Vegetarian Classics, Jeanne is also a very busy mother and wife.

Jeanne admits that her family has varied eating habits. She even calls her picky 14–year old son the “vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables.” She also says her husband has a bear’s appetite. Family challenges in hand, Jeanne set out to write a cookbook that featured simple foods that were easy to make and, above all, delicious. I think she succeeded. As with all of her books, I always look at Jeanne’s recipes and think, “That’s all?” I am, however, consistently reassured when her instructions turn out perfectly satisfying food every time.

In preparation for my show, I made Jeanne’s “Greens, Potato, and Feta Cheese Pie.” It was delicious. She considers it a main course, but if you are not eschewing meat and poultry, it makes a wonderful appetizer or side dish. My housekeeper, Dolores, who is far from vegetarian and eats practically nothing that I make, except for sweets, devoured this with glee.

Greens, Potato, and Feta Cheese Pie
Serves 4

This quick pie, made with a crust of bread crumbs, contains a savory filling resembling that of the popular Italian torta verde. It is equally delicious made with Swiss chard, spinach, or a combination of both.

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1 1/4 pounds)
6 to 7 large leaves Swiss chard, removed from stems, or one 10-ounce package fresh spinach, stems discarded, or a combination of both
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Generous seasoning freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons olive oil

Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate (I used pyrex) with the 1/2 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle the crumbs on the plate, then rotate the plate until they cover the entire bottom and sides. This will form the crust.

Place the potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and place in a large bowl.

Wash the Swiss chard or spinach and place in a colander. Sprinkle the salt all over the leaves and let sit for 30 minutes; this will cause the juices to “sweat.” With your hands gather the leaves roughly and add them to the potatoes. Mix in all the remaining ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the greens mixture in the prepared pie plate. Bake 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Arthur’s two cents: I would reverse two directions here. Put the greens up to drain with salt, then tackle the potatoes while the greens are sweating. I’d also increase the amount of scallions. I used all the white and about three-fourths of the green, but I still wanted more scallion flavor. How about doubling the amount to 4 scallions? Without any guidance from Jeanne on the pepper, I used about a quarter of a teaspoon, but felt it needed a bit more for my taste.