Meatless Friday: Leek Pie

Editor’s Note: If you love recipes for simple, delicious food, make your way over to Recipes from a Monastery Kitchen and sign up for their weekly newsletter, or “like” their Facebook page! You’ll find breads, soups, salads, sandwiches, main dishes and desserts, all with easy instructions and a handy feature that lets you automatically adjust the recipe for exactly the number of servings you need before printing it out. This versatile recipe is gluten-free and can be served hot or cold. We’re grateful to the Sisters of the Community of Jesus for sharing this recipe with the CatholicMom community. –Barb

If you visit any one of Tuscany’s Trattorias, you will most likely find this on the menu as a “contorni” or side dish. Leeks, parmesan and a light sprinkling of nutmeg — all the flavors of Northern Italy combine to make this savory pie a wonderful addition to beef or veal. This past weekend, we served this as a side to Beef Tenderloin with Balsamic Vinegar to our Oblates on retreat. As we venture into Lent, this meatless side dish could actually become a main dish for lunch. It’s one of my favorite recipes to share with you. Our prayers are with you for a very blessed Lent.

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"Meatless Friday: Leek Pie" by Sisters of the Community of Jesus (CatholicMom.com)

"Torta di porri" (Leek Pie)

SERVINGS: 8
COOK TIME: 20-30 minutes
PREP TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 pie crust, store bought or homemade, blind baked
3 leek(s) (1 lb. 12 oz) in total, washed and sliced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup white wine
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese freshly grated
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Make your pastry and leave it to rest in the refrigerator for an hour before rolling out.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pastry into a 8" pie plate and blind bake it. Click here for instructions on blind baking a pie crust.
Prepare your filling. Strip away any damaged tough parts of the leek and top extreme ends, and slice the leeks into thin slices.
Put them into a bowl of cold water and swish them with your hand to remove any dirt remaining. Transfer to a colander to drain.
Put the olive oil into a saucepan to heat and add the leeks. Saute gently to soften, and season with salt and pepper.
When the leeks become lightly golden, add the wine and continue cooking over low heat until most of it has evaporated and the leeks are softened. If the leeks are still hard and the wine has evaporated, add 1 cup of hot water and saute for another 10 min. or so until the leeks are soft and there is only a little liquid left in the pan. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool slightly.
Lightly whip the eggs in a bowl and add the cream, parmesan cheese and a dash of nutmeg. Add the cooled leeks and stir well. Adjust seasonings if needed.
Pour the mixture into your par-baked crust, shifting the leeks evenly with a wooden spoon.
Return the tart to the oven for about 20-30 min. until the top is lightly golden and the filling is set.
Cool slightly and slice into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Copyright 2017 Sisters of the Community of Jesus in Orleans, MA. This recipe was originally posted at Recipes from a Monastery Kitchen and is shared here with the kind permission of the Sisters of the Community of Jesus.