Sauteed kale, onion, garlic, herbs and cheese mixed with enough egg and cream to hold it together, put to bed under a blanket of puff pastry and then cooked in the oven for 45 minutes or so until it’s golden and delicious.

This is the kind of thing that can be an easy healthy lunch or dinner, or a side dish for someone who hates on their greens.

I know it sounds like a lot of green stuff for a pie but, well, it is initially, but it will certainly wilt down a heck of a lot when you sauté it. And fuck, you gotta know that it’s good for you.

BIG OL’ KALE & CHEESE PIE

2 bunches curly kale, sliced into 2cm pieces
½ onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 handful mixed fresh herbs – basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme or whatever you can find, chopped (a teaspoon of mixed dried herbs will work here too)
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 heaped cup shredded parmesan or pecorino
6 eggs
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper
3 sheets ready-made puff pastry
1 egg whisked with a splash of milk for your egg wash
1 tablespoon sesame seeds if you think they look pretty on a pie
Pie tin – mine was roughly 20×25 cm, which was the width of the puff pastry sheet

In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add 1 bunch of chopped kale to pan and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes until almost soft. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Repeat process with remaining bunch of kale.
Allow greens to cool a little. This is important because it means you won’t heat the puff pastry and turn it to shit.
While you are waiting for the greens to be cool, line your pie tin with baking paper or give it a spray of oil and dust it with flour. Place a sheet of pastry in the tin so the edges over hang by about 1 cm. Chop another sheet up if you need some more pastry to make sure the whole base of the tin is covered.
Put pie base in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Puff pastry really does benefit from being cold.
While your pastry is taking its turn at a little chill time you can preheat your oven to 180C (360 F) and then get onto those greens.
Add herbs, chilli, cheese and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl of greens and mix to combine.
Whisk cream and eggs.
Add cream and egg mix to greens and mix to combine.
Get that pie base out of the fridge and pour bowl of greens and stuff into the tin. If it stands too tall and fluffy give it a little push down to get it in there.
Top pie with another sheet of pastry, plus whatever extra you need to cover the whole thing.
Squash edges together where the pastry top joins the bottom and kinda roll or twist them up a little to make a seal.
Brush the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Get it into the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown.
Slice, serve, eat.