Serves 8
A couple of months ago I had the privilege of meeting and filming Peruvian woman Marcia Ocampo as part of a series of films for Talking Matters, an NGO focusing on the importance of language in the first 1000 days of life.
Marcia half made this pie on screen, picking the free-ranging silverbeet from her rambling ¼ acre backyard in Glen Innes and cooking it up as she talked to her whānau in Peru via facetime. Sadly we ran out of time to film the finished pie but we did get to eat it as we sat down for a cuppa after filming finished for the day.
Marcia’s creation was the most delicious silverbeet pie I’ve ever eaten! In fact, I think it’s the only silverbeet pie I’ve ever eaten, which is odd given that silverbeet is the one vegetable you’ll find growing in gardens across the motu year around. So it’s our pleasure to share with you the taste of Peru in our version of Silverbeet Pie. It’s jam-packed with nutrient-rich vegetables and is the juiciest, tastiest, yummiest life-enhancing pie we’ve ever eaten!
Give making the pie a go and you can watch Marcia translanguaging with her 4-month baby while you’re at it! They are beyond inspiring. https://www.facebook.com/TalkingMattersNZ/videos/1340923850048985
THE GREENS
1 kg raw silverbeet
2 large leeks, sliced
3 T butter
¼ c lemon juice
1½ t salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper
½ grated nutmeg
GREENS EGGS
6 eggs
100g parmesan cheese
1 bunch parsley, stems removed
FOR THE PAN
1 T butter
6 t sesame seeds
3 sheets Edmonds Flaky Puff Pastry
150g grated tasty cheese
5 more eggs *optional
METHOD
Remove the spine and stalks from each silverbeet leaf and chop them into 1cm slices. Place silverbeet into a large with just ¼ c of water, cover and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave it to wilt and steam.
Once cool enough to handle place silverbeet into the middle of a tea towel, pull the ends together and wring out all the excess moisture.
In your Legacy Pan over a low heat saute leeks in butter with lemon juice salt, pepper and nutmeg for 15 minutes. Stir every now and then to prevent the leeks from browning. Add the strained silverbeet and mix well.
Tip leek and silverbeet mixture into a bowl and leave to cool. Wipe out your pan.
Heat oven to 160°C.
In a Nutribullet blend eggs, parsley and parmesan until well combined. It should take less than 30 seconds.
Liberally butter your clean and cool Legacy Pan then scatter half the sesame seeds over the base and sides of the pan.
Place one whole sheet of pastry in the centre of the pan. Cut the remaining 2 sheets into half then using a pastry brush, brush the parsley egg mix around the edges of the pastry and attach each half piece of pastry to an edge of the piece in the bottom. Make sure you push down well with your fingers to ensure the pasty binds well. See the photo.
Sprinkle grated tasty cheese over the bottom of the pastry followed by the cooled leek and silver beet mixture. Gently pour the green egg mix over the top of the veggies, saving 3 T to bind and egg wash the pastry.
Now, if you want to add the whole eggs too, make 5 egg-shaped holes with a tablespoon and drop an egg into each hole.
With a pastry brush and remaining egg mix in hand pull the pastry one piece at a time onto the top of the pie and bind all the edges together. Don’t be too worried about how tidy it looks! Once all packaged up brush the top of the pie with the green egg mix and sprinkle with the other half of the sesame seeds.
Cook for at least an hour until the pie is risen and golden brown and smells irresistibly delicious!
Serve hot to the table with lashings of chutney and a crisp salad.
