Winter Brassica Pie

Winter Brassica Pie
Kales, sprouts and kalettes

An open pie of potatoes mixed with some kind of greens is a well-known vegetarian classic, the Homity pie. It's a frugal winter comfort food with simple origins that is regularly reinvented, reinvigorated and revisited as food fashion cycles around.

January sees so many delicious brassicas that it can be hard to decide which to use, so why not all of them?! There is also the last of the stored main crop potatoes, which is a marriage made in heaven - earthy and floral.

While a wholemeal shortcrust is traditional, rough puff is my preference to bring a crisp crunch and lighter alternative. Shop brought puff is just as delicious.

Serves 6 (24cm pie dish)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
500g quantity of rough puff or 1 ready made puff sheet
300g +/- potatoes
1 thumb of butter
2 onions
3 garlic
A pinch of chilli flakes
Sea salt flakes
a sprig of rosemary
100g +/- Cavolo nero or green kale
150g +/- Brussels sprouts
100g +/- kalettes or Red Russian kale
Fresh grated nutmeg
Lots of ground black pepper
80g +/- cheese of your choice (optional)
1 beaten egg to glaze

Preheat the oven to 190°C

1. Once the pastry has been made, roll out to no thinner than 3mm and line the pie dish, leaving the pastry overhanging. Cover and rest in the fridge.

2. Bring a pan of water to the boil, scrub and dice the potatoes then cook until tender.

3. Slice and cook the onion in a large pan with butter over a low heat until translucent, then add the chopped garlic. Cook for another minute or two with the chilli flakes.

4. Strip the Cavolo nero from its stems and slice. Trim and quarter the sprouts and kalettes. Chop the rosemary. Check the potatoes. If the are tender, drain and leave to steam dry.

5. Turn up the heat under the onions, add the brassica’s and cook until they begin to brown around the edges but are still crunchy. Add the rosemary and remove from the heat.

6. Mix everything together in the pan and season with black pepper, nutmeg and salt. Mix in the cheese iof you are using any.

7. Take the pastry case from the fridge and fill with the vegetables, making sure there are no air gaps as this will make it fall apart. when cut.

8. Fold over the edges of pastry and trim to make a pleasant shape on top. Glaze with the egg and bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Serve hot or cold with a winter leaf salad.