I’d been craving comfort all week.
The wind and cold snap it brought had me harvesting any final bits I hoped to stash away. Leaves of chard, kale, sweet salad tunips & their greens, spinach, salad mix, cilantro & broccolini. I knew we were headed for single digit temps and quite frankly, I was ready for a rest.
When I woke Wednesday morning to 3 degrees on the farm it was as if I had finally been given permission to say goodbye to the season.
I took my need for comfort into the kitchen and played with a recipe from The New York Times for Creamed Greens Potpie. The resulting dish was just what I needed. Comforting greens and warm garlic in a creamy but not too heavy sauce with just the right amount of crust.
This would make a delicious and beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving table. And while I had strong doubts that the 2.5 pounds of greens would all fit in the skillet, of course they did.
Comforting Garlicky Greens & Mushroom Pie
3 tbsp unsalted butter
10 garlic cloves, peeled & thinly sliced (just shy of 1/2 cup)
1 shallot, peeled & finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh if you have it
1 C crimini mushrooms, washed and quartered
2.5 pounds mixed hearty greens (like kale, chard, spinach, turnip, mustard or collard greens) stems removed and reserved, leaves torn into large pieces
2/3 C Tender stems from greens above chopped (I used the chard and turnip stems)
kosher salt** and black pepper (I used our Gordon Creek Farm Garlic Salt)
1 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 C. heavy cream
1 C whole milk
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 C grated parmesan
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil
In a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic, shallot, stems from greens, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5-6 min.
Add the mushrooms and sautéed until some of their juices have released but they are still tender and not browned.
Add a handfull of greens at a time and season lightly with salt and pepper. Use tongs to toss the greens in the butter and garlic mixture until wilted. Repeat, making sure to season each batch, until all the greens are added and wilted (I did 5 additions).
Stir in the flour until it disappears into the greens, then add the cream, milk and hot sauce and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and stir in Parmesan. Make sure to taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Transfer the filling to a 1.5 quart baking dish. **I used a 2 quart and it was just a little big so the pastry sunk in the middle but it wasn’t a huge deal.
On a lightly floured work surface, use a lightly floured rolling pin and roll out the puff pastry to fit over the baking dish you’re using with a 1” drape. If the pastry bounces back when you roll it give it a few minutes to rest between each roll.
Drape the pastry over the baking dish so it drapes over the sides by 1” . Brush the beaten egg onto the puff pastry, then cut four large slits into the pastry.
Bake until the puff pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 10 min. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees and bake until the pastry is cooked through and the filling is bubbling, 30-35 min. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Here is the original recipe for Creamed Greens Potpie by Ali Slagle if you want to stick to the tried and true version but I loved the little additions of using the stems and mushrooms and cutting back on the cream.
