Swiss Chard Pie

Our dinner plans changed drastically March 14th, once National Pi Day was brought to my attention (thanks Christie!). I knew we must eat something round and pie shaped. Our meals of late have been governed by whatever may have shown up in the CSA box that week, so Swiss chard pie it was.

I grew up with Viccolo's cornmeal pizza crusts in SF, so when I discovered that our little ol' HEB had them in their freezer section I did a happy dance and a half (right there in the store...I really have no shame). I knew our National Pi Day would be celebrated with Viccolo's. This recipe is what resulted. The crusts come 2 per package, so this is really the second time I've made this since Pi Day. Too good not to post, lest I forget my recipe!


Update: I've since made this again subbing organic beet greens and the diced stems and it was as good if not better.  I also added a touch of ground cayenne to the bechamel sauce.  Perfect!

Swiss Chard Pie:

1 large bunch of organic Swiss chard; de-stemmed and chopped
1 large clove garlic; minced
~1/3 cup organic veggie broth

2 Tbs organic unsalted butter
2 Tbs organic flour (any flour will work, I like to use whole grain spelt flour, or brown rice flour)
1 1/4 cup organic unsweetened soymilk, milk, or other unsweetened milk sub.
~1/3 (grate a little extra for the top of the pie) cup grated aged Gruyère cheese
dash of garlic powder
fresh grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1 frozen Viccolo's cornmeal crust

Preheat oven to 425.
Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over med. high heat.
Saute garlic til golden, then add Swiss chard and toss to wilt.
Add veggie broth, cover, turn down heat to low, and braise for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender.
Drain in a colander, squeezing out as much liquid as you can once it's cool enough to handle. Set aside.

For the bechamel, heat soymilk in microwave until hot, taking care not to scald it...about 1-2 minutes.
Heat butter in a saucepan until foamy, then add flour and whisk for 2 minutes cooking over med. low heat.
While whisking, add the heated soymilk (or other milk) to the butter and flour roux. Continue cooking over medium low heat for ~3-4 minutes, until it thickens nicely. Remove from heat and stir in a little cheese, stirring until melted. Season with fresh grated nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Stir drained greens into bechamel.
Spread greens mix over one Viccolo's pizza crust, sprinkle a small amount of Gruyère over across the top, then bake for about 12-13 minutes in the center of the oven.
Set the broiler to high, move the pizza to the uppermost rack, then broil til bubbly and just golden. Keep a close eye on it when the pie is under the broiler, this will go fast.

Serves 2 paired with a nice mixed greens salad. Our salad was a mix of organic field greens, oranges, avocado, a few toasted pepitas and a chopped dried fig. So good and played really well with the pie. :-)