Forget modern savory tarts with Parmesan, ricotta and eggs — the Herb Pie is completely different and recalls the simplicity of traditional peasant dishes. It was once prepared in the countryside when a tasty yet light snack was needed. Bread dough or a simple homemade pastry made with a little water, flour, salt and olive oil was used, and it was filled with the vegetables available in the garden. Every family in Piedmont had its own recipe; this is ours from the Cuneo valleys — a few ingredients that warm the heart. I prepared it with chard ribs, since my uncle’s garden is offering this vegetable at the moment, but spinach works just as well. For convenience I used store-bought puff pastry.

Find here the link to another tasty Piedmontese savory tart:

Piedmontese green pie (Turta verda)

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 45 Minutes
Cooking time: 35 Minutes
Portions: 8 Servings
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian Regional
Region: Piedmont
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups celery (cleaned)
6 medium carrots (cleaned (about 12 oz / 350 g))
2.5 oz onion (already cleaned)
2.5 oz leek (already cleaned)
2 cloves garlic
to taste olive oil
to taste fine salt
1.5 lb Swiss chard (or chard (coste), leaves only)
to taste garlic powder (optional)
to taste hot paprika (optional)
2 puff pastry (rectangular, 8 oz (230 g) each)

Steps

When my uncle’s garden offers chard ribs this beautiful, what could I cook? Follow the steps with me and prepare this delight!
Start by washing, cleaning and cutting the carrots, onions, leek and celery into not-too-small pieces. Put them in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
Put a little olive oil in a fairly large pan and sauté the previously chopped vegetables.
For this recipe you will use only the chard leaves. Wash the chard thoroughly in plenty of water and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. At this point cut away the stalks — you can use them for another great recipe.
Cut the leaves into strips, not too thin.
Add the chard leaves to the pan with the soffritto; they initially take up a lot of volume, but will wilt down shortly.
Add 1 cup of water, two garlic cloves and a little fine salt.
Cover and cook for about twenty minutes.
Once cooked, you can flavor the chard with a little garlic powder and hot paprika if you like. Adjust salt if necessary. The mixture should not be too dry, nor too brothy.
Let it cool slightly. Then line a rectangular baking pan with parchment paper (about 12 x 9 in / 31 x 23 cm) and place the first sheet of puff pastry on it. Pour in the chard filling, leveling it as much as possible.
Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top.
Seal the edges well so the filling does not escape. Prick the surface of the puff pastry to prevent it from puffing up too much while baking.
Bake at 356°F for about 35 minutes. The surface should be nicely golden and crisp.
Let cool slightly and enjoy!