Green Pie

Everything about this pie is heavenly, from the creamy chevre cheese to the silky combo of eggs and fresh cream to the buttery pie crust! This recipe makes one pie, enough for four hearty servings. Serve with roasted potatoes and a side of baby greens salad for a healthy brunch.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Crust: Make your own trusted recipe or try this: mix 1/2 cup white flour and 3/4 cup wheat flour with a tsp. of salt in a food processor with the steel blade. Add one stick of butter, cut into chunks. Pulse until all the butter is incorporated into the flour. Leave the machine running and feed about 1/4 cup cold water through the feed tube. Add some more flour if too sticky, which it most likely will be. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll flat. Place into a pie dish. Make a few holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Layer the dish with crumbled chevre. Be generous!

Filling: Fill a six quart pan with loosely packed baby greens (I used beet and mustard, but spinach would be great, I am sure) and a little water. Bring to a boil and let the greens just barely wilt. Remove from heat, strain fully and chop up the greens with a sharp knife. Layer over the cheese in the pie dish. In a small bowl, beat four eggs and then add 1 cup good heavy cream. Salt generously and pepper. Pour the egg/cream mixture over the greens. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg and bake for about an hour.

Cheesy mustard greens salad

You could make this with any baby greens or lettuce; I used mustard greens because it's what growing like crazy in the garden for the moment. You may think you have never had mustard greens, but I would be willing to bet that you have since I see them often in fresh garden salads that I eat in restaurants. They're very mild, which makes this dressing a good combo since all the flavor is in the dressing.

In a bowl, mix 1 minced garlic clove with a generous amount of salt. Add a tablespoon of vinegar and stir again. Finally, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan and mix again. Toss in the greens (washed, snipped if necessary, cut in half if long) and stir to cover with the dressing. Top with pine nuts and black olives.

Three bean salad with mustard greens

The mustard greens are here in full force in the garden, so the race to eat them all is on. In this lovely and delicious side dish, the greens are sauteed with a bit of crême fraîche and topped with a three bean salad.

• One big bunch of mustard greens, stems clipped, washed & cut in half (long way)
• 2 heaping tbsp crême fraîche
• About 2 cups total of 3 different kinds of canned beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp minced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1.5 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste

Mix the beans with the olive oil, onion, garlic, mustard and salt.

Heat some more olive oil in a non stick pan and sautee the greens with some salt for a few minutes, until just wilted. Add the crême fraîche and heat through.

Pile the bean salad on top of the greens, pouring the crême fraîche over all.

Serves two.