The smell of a pie in the oven is rather comforting don’t you think? Delight your toddlers, kids and the entire families taste buds with this nutritious, organic green leaf and home made spelt pastry pie. There’s so much nutrition packed into this dish I don’t know where to begin. Did you know that organic bok choi has an abundance of health benefits and contains protein, dietary fiber and almost all the essential vitamins and minerals.
I often wondered why my daughter loved this vegetable so much and when I did some research on bok choi a few years back I was totally surprised at how nutrient dense it was. Being that she had allergies to dairy and eggs this vegetable would provide some of the nutrients needed for her body. Its amazing how our bodies can crave certain foods to fuel the body of what it actually needs. I’ve made bok choi the star in this dish with it being the highest vegetable ingredient. Bok choi is used in many Indonesian dishes and is such a common vegetable that can be found easily in Bali. Paired up with spinach and kale and throw in some salty flavors of feta and haloumi, your taste buds will dance with joy.
This makes such a wonderful family meal and a real veggie overload. Add some steam cauliflower or carrots as a side for your toddlers or kids or even a nice big organic garden salad. My family absolutely loved the flavor combinations and the pastry was rather crumbly and smooth. Perfect to make on a Sunday afternoon to start the week right as Monday Meatless Meal whiter you are vegetarian or not.
Serving Size : 6-8 serves
Cook Time : 1 hour 10 minute
Spelt Shortcrust Pasrty
INGREDIENTS
- 500g Spelt flour + extra, to knead
- 250g Chilled Butter, finely cubed pinch of salt
- 2 Organic Free-range eggs, chilled + 1, beaten
- 2 cup Chilled Water
- 4 tsp Sesame Seeds
Pie Filling
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup (125ml) Extra-Virgin olive oil + extra, to brush
- 2 Red / White onions, peeled and finely diced
- 2 Leeks (white parts only), finely diced
- 3 Celery Sticks with leaves, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp garlic, crushed
- 1/4 tsp (1,25ml) Dried Oregano
- 1 tbsp (15ml) Honey/Rice Malt Syrup or Maple Syrup (optional)
- 300g Bok Choi, stalks thinly sliced and separated from leaves
- 200g Spinach, chop off stem
- 100g Kale, stalks removed and only leaves used
- Chopped handful Llat-Leaf Parsley
- 200g Feta
- 200g Haloumi, coarsley grated
- 1/4 tsp (1,25ml) Ground Nutmeg
- 3 Free-range eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 tbsp (15ml) Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- For the pastry, preheat the oven to 180C degree. Blitz the spelt flour, butter and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Whisk the 2 eggs and chilled water in a bowl until combined, then, with the food processor motor running, add it to the flour mixture. Blitz until the mixture starts to from large clumps, stopping the machine before the mixture forms a ball. Turn the pastry out onto a floured work surface and knead gently to bring together. Separate the dough into 2 balls, making one slightly larger than the other. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge, at least 1 hour
- For the filling, place a heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil. Stir in the onions and saute, 10 minutes, but do not color. Add the leeks and celery. Continue to stir, ensuring it caramelises to release maximum flavour, but does not brown. Add the garlic and stir through. Add the oregano, followed by the honey
- Stir in the bok choi stalks and cook, about 2-3 minutes. Add the bok choi leaves and cook, a further 3 minutes. Add the kale and spinach and all of the herbs. Cook, 1 minute longer. Remove from pan. Transfer to colander with a dish underneath to catch the juices.
- Once the mixture has cooled, squeeze out the excess liquid from the book choi, spinach and kale – this liquid is packed full of flavour and goodness, so make sure to reserve it in the fridge or freezer to use at a later date as a flavourful stock
- Place the green leaf mixture in a mixing bowl and add the feta, haloumi, nutmeg, 3 eggs and lemon juice. Season to taste
- To assemble, roll out the larger piece of dough to 0,5cm thickness. Generously brush a 25cm- diameter round spring form tin with olive oil. Press the pastry into the dish, allowing excess overhang. Spread the filling evenly over the base. Roll out the remaining dough to a thickness of 0,5cm and place on the filling as a lid. Crimp the pastry with your thumb and forefinger and trim off the edges. Brush with the beaten egg, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and cut 3 small slits in the pie for the steam to escape. Bake on the middle shelf, about 50 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, 20 minutes, before releasing from the tin