Make a Spicy Kale Pie for National Kale Day
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Recipe by Chef Brad Walker, Boundary Road and photography by Kate Headley. From our Winter/Holiday Issue 2014.
Spicy Kale Pie
Serves 8
5 pounds uncooked kale, remove the leaves from tough stems
12 dried chile peppers
4–5 cloves garlic, shaved
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup, shredded Parmesan cheese
Sauté chile peppers and garlic until aromatic in 3 tablespoons olive oil, then add kale and season with salt and pepper. Allow kale to cook down to desired tenderness, then turn off the heat and add lemon juice. Squeeze excess liquid from kale until it is quite dry. (Pro tips for this: Many people use a clean old dish towel that they've dedicated to squeezing greens like kale, spinach or collards--because, well, it will be green. Others use lots of paper towels to wring it dry. You can also use a potato ricer if you have one, which acts like a big press to drain the kale dry.)
Prepare a crust for a double pie. Use your favorite pie crust recipe and prepare dough for a 2-crust 9-inch pie. Line a 9-inch pie pan with one rolled-out piecrust and blind bake or pre-bake the crust according to your recipe until it is golden brown, lining the pie with pie weights if you have them or use rice or beans to weight the crust down.
Layer Parmesan and kale in the pre-baked crust. Roll out the top layer of crust and place over pie, crimping the edges; cut a few vents, then brush with beaten egg and bake for 40 minutes at 350°F.
Chef Brad Walker, the chef/owner of Boundary Road prepared a holiday meal for friends in last year's Edible DC Winter/Holiday Issue. Boundary Road offers a seasonal menu from from Chef Walker whose pedigree includes Central, Proof, Cashion's Eat Place and Fiola.
