RECIPE: Two from the farm visit

Due to popular demand, here are two of the recipes from the farm visit. If you are interested in any of the others, please let me know (you can email me at recipes@chubbybunnynyc.org).

Ithaca Pie

Adapted from In Season by Sarah Raven

Serves 12-15 (as a main course)

(I used this recipe in a 12" x 15" x 3" pan, and still had some dough left over, so you should be able to halve it and make the pie in a standard 9" x 13" pan. If you do this, check the pie at 30-45 minutes. If you do experiment, please leave comments to let us all know how it worked out.)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 eggs, beaten

Ice-cold water

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

For the filling:

2 pounds spinach, chard, kale (one, or a mixture of all, of these greens)

Large bunch of dill, finely chopped

4 tablespoons chopped mint

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup olive oil

4 scallions, finely chopped

2 leeks, finely chopped

1/2 cup long-grain rice (I used brown rice for the picnic, but have also made this with bulgur and actually prefer the result)

6 ounces feta (optional)

Salt and pepper

Procedure:

1. Sift the flour with the salt and rub in the butter or pulse in a food processor until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add enough beaten eggs and ice water to bring the dough together in a ball. Wrap in plastic and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (can be done a day in advance).

2. Remove the tough stalks from the spinach, chard, and kale. Coarsely chop the leaves and mix with the finely chopped herbs. Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil in a large pan until tender. And add all the greens, including the scallions and leeks. Mix well with most of the remaining oil. Incorporate the uncooked rice (or bulgur) and take off the heat. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Divide the dough in two (one piece slightly larger than the other) and allow it to warm up for a minute or so. Roll out the dough--on a floured surface--as thinly as you possibly can.

4. Roll the larger piece around a rolling pin and transfer it to the base of your baking pan. Make sure that there is some pastry hanging over the side of the pan.

5. Add the filling and crumble the feta over it (if using). Cover with the other layer of dough. Crimp the two layers together by brushing with a little water and pinching around the edge.

6. Brush a little oil over the top and scatter with sesame seeds (if using). Prick the surface with a knife. Bake the pie in the preheated oven for just over an hour, until the top crust is golden brown.

This is delicious once it has cooled a little and is perhaps even better eaten cold the next day. It's also excellent for feeding lots of people at a picnic.

As for the sour cherry pie, here's a link to the recipe I used. Making a lattice crust (or, for some, even making the dough from scratch) can be intimidating, but it's easier than you think. If enough people are interested, I would be willing to do a pie making demo some time, so please let me know. (Again, my email is recipes@chubbybunnynyc.org)