KALE

Kale

It is a new vegetable for my family and me, we had tasted the Kale in a pasta dish, and we all decided to like it.  Kale is such a versatile vegetable, you could do so much with it.  Eat fresh and raw with a little dressing is so delicious.  Have it in a smoothie, mixed with avocado is very yummy.  Stir fry Kale is so good, garnished with some nuts, and how about Kale crisps, simply bake it in the oven. (I have not tried it yet).

Green Leaf of Kale

Kale Pie with Cheese and Eggs

Today I cooked a pie with Kale and cheese egg filling.  I prepared water pastry with turmeric to add flavour.  The pie was not baked in the oven but cooked in a frying pan over the stove.  It worked well, looked a little rustic, as it has blotchy black on the pastry.  But the taste was good, not bitter.

To serve the pie simply cut into wedges garnished with a salad if you wish, I am happy enough to have it as it is.  Excellent for an entree or a light lunch.

The Preparation

The Pastry
It needs soft/melted butter to brush the pastry in between in the process of making to a more delicate pastry sheet.

Mix flour, turmeric, salt with oil, warm water, roll and knead
to make a soft dough.

The pastry needs a rest before stretching to larger and thinner sheets.

Resting the dough, wrapped for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into eight pieces.

Roll the dough to larger sizes.

Roll them again to make large sheets, smear soft butter on each pastry.
You could brush them with melted butter instead.

Put two large buttered sheets together.

Stretch the sheet to a larger and thinner sheet

Kale and Cooking.
Olive Oil to cook.

Wash and chop the stems as they have to be cooked first, followed by the leaves.  Cook with a little oil until tender.  The character of Kale is chewy, and it has a robust earthy flavour.

Washed fresh kale-a half bunch 

Cooking the chopped stems of the Kale first, before adding the
chopped leaves.

The Filling: 1/2 cup egg white, three whole eggs, ricotta cheese,  Parmesan cheese, salt,  paper to taste, the Kale, add a tablespoon olive oil, mix all together.  

The filling: kale, ricotta and Parmesan cheese
egg white, whole eggs and salt and pepper.

The Pie-The Cooking*

Place the pastry sheets on a buttered/oiled frying pan, put on the filling and cover it with the other pastry sheets, and brush the pastry with oil in between.  Put it on a hot stove and cook for 2 minutes, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn it over and cover the frying pan and continue cooking over low heat for 7 minutes.  Heat a plate until hot enough, transfer the pie on it. 

Brushing the pastry with oil before adding another pastry sheet.

Cooking the pie over the stove with a frying pan.

Transfer the pie to a hot plate.

The filling: Kale, egg white, whole egg and cheese was influenced by David Lebovitz - Kale Frittata. Next time when I have a lot of egg white, I will do the Kale Frittata, it looks so good, and it is healthier.

It is an idea, for cooking the vegetable pie, especially if you have a lot of egg white and you don't know what to do with.

I don't give you a recipe as such, as for the quantities;  I am sure you could improvise.  The recipe of the water pastry is on older post-look for Pastry Page.
Ho to do: the pictures are self-explanatory, and I am sure they are transparent enough and easy to follow.

What you need to cook Kale Pie
Pastry-Susy's recipe of water pastry
- The pastry, add turmeric for flavour
- Melted butter to brush the pastry in between
The Filling:
- The green Kale, stir fry with oil/butter to cook
- Cheeses, ricotta and Parmesan
- Egg white, and whole egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil

* Brush the pastry with oil in the process of preparing and cooking the pie.

Have fun in the kitchen and happy cooking.

Until Next Post
Susy