Kale, Potato & Parsnip Pie

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed & chilled
  • ⅓ cup ice water
  • 1 tbsp butter for greasing 1 side of foil
  • 1 lb dried beans or pie weights

Filling

  • 1 lb kale
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
  • ½ cup chopped onions
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • ½ cup diced potatoes
  • ½ cup diced parsnips (about 1 medium parsnip)
  • 4 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup light cream
  • pinch of black pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp water

Equipment

  • 9" pie pan
  • food processor
  • rolling pin
  • pastry brush

How-to

Make Dough

  1. Add flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times just to blend
  2. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the processor along with shortening. Turn processor on and pulse until butter is in pea-sized pieces
  3. Add ice water little by little and pulse until dough forms a ball, about 15 seconds
  4. Turn dough onto floured working surface and knead with the heal of your hand a few times to work dough and smooth it
  5. Divide the dough in half and shape into 5” disks
  6. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours

Roll & Bake Bottom Crust

  1. Remove one disk from refrigerator
  2. Flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll dough to ³⁄₁₆" in thickness (about 2" larger than your pie plate)
  3. Fold in half, place into pie plate then unfold. Press dough into the plate and push excess dough slightly down the inside to make the sides thicker. Crimp the curst. Prick bottom of dough a few times with a fork to prevent the crust from bubbling and misshaping when baking
  4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
  5. Preheat oven to 425º
  6. Butter one side of a piece of aluminum foil that is slightly larger than the pan. Place it butter-side-down in the bottom of the pie shell and fold snugly around the pie plate
  7. Pour dried beans or pie weights over foil in the pie plate and bake for 8 minutes
  8. Remove shell from the oven, take out beans and foil, straighten up pastry edges if they have sagged, prick the bottom of the dough again and return to oven for 2-3 minutes to faintly brown
  9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes

Make Filling

  1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil
  2. Add kale and blanch, about 30 seconds, turning kale frequently. Remove from water to a colander/strainer and gently squeeze out water with tongs. Remove tough stems, and rough chop the kale
  3. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter over high heat. Add kale and cook to evaporate moisture, about 1 minute. Remove from pan and set aside
  4. In the same pan, add 2 more tbsp of butter and sauté the onions, garlic, potatoes and parsnips and cook until potatoes and parsnips are just tender but still crunchy, 7-10 minutes. Add kale back to pan and stir, then remove from heat and set aside to cool
  5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs then add cheeses, cream, salt and pepper
  6. Fold in the cooled kale and potato/parsnip mixture
  7. Pour into the previously-baked pie shell

Add Top Crust & Bake

  1. Reduce oven heat to 350º
  2. Remove remaining pastry dough from refrigerator and roll out to ³⁄₁₆”
  3. Before placing top crust on pie, cut simple vents in the middle or decorative ones with small cookie cutters. Fold crust in half, place dough over filling and crimp the edges. Cut off excess dough with a paring knife if necessary. Don’t let this dough go to waste – cut out additional embellishments to add to the top crust
  4. Brush pastry with egg yolk and water mixture
  5. Bake at 350º for 1 hour.  If the edges of the crust begin to brown too quickly, take a piece of foil and wrap around the crust edge
  6. Let sit 5 minutes after baking, then slice and serve warm