Swiss Chard Pie

We have so much swiss chard in the garden these days! I planted five plants and expected it to act like lettuce did last year, one big return and that was it, but this stuff is hearty and keeps replenishing every couple of days. I found a cookbook called Jerusalem last week that has beautiful pictures and explanations of Middle Eastern foods. My guy and I went on several expeditions to find all kinds of interesting ingredients, and now we are ready to start cooking some new foods. This recipe came from that book, but it they call it Herb Pie, we found it to be delicious.

Swiss Chard Pie

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 lb swiss chard, stems and leaves separated and finely shredded

5 oz celery, thinly sliced

2 green onions, chopped

1 handful arugula or spinach

1 oz parsley, chopped

1 oz mint, chopped

2/3 oz dill, chopped

4 oz anari or ricotta (I used ricotta)

3 1/2 oz cheddar cheese, grated

2 oz feta

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t superfine sugar

9 oz filo pastry (I used 10 sheets)

Oven 400 degrees. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet at medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the chard stems and celery and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn up the heat to medium high and add the chard leaves, cook for 4 more minutes until the leaves wilt.Ad the onions, arugula and herbs and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer into a colander and allow to cool. When cooled, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the cheeses, lemon zest, eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.

Lay out a sheet of filo dough and brush it with some olive oil. Cover with another sheet of oiled dough to make five sheets and place in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, covering the entire plate with some hanging over. Fill the pie plate with the swiss chard mixture and place another stack of five sheets of oiled filo dough over the top. This does not need to be flat orneat, scrunch up the dough on top to produce a wayvy, uneven texture if desired. Brush the top with olive oil and bake 40 minutes .