crispy mini pies

mini pie croccanti

12 servings

Dandelion greens are a celebration of new growth in many regions of Italy. If dandelion greens are not available, use arugula or Swiss chard. Dough and filling can be prepped 1 day ahead. Bring filling to room temperature before assembling. Assemble just before baking.

Pastry dough

• 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (4 ounces) lard or 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• 2 large egg yolks
• ½ cup ice cold water

Filling

• Juice of ½ lemon
• 4 pounds dandelion greens, arugula or Swiss chard, trimmed, roughly chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the lard. Combine with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and water; drizzle into the flour mixture while blending quickly with one hand until the mixture comes together into a ball. Flatten to form a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375°. Bring a large saucepan of water and the lemon juice to boil. Add the dandelion greens, in batches if necessary, and cook until greens are tender, about 3 minutes; drain. Generously coat a skillet with oil and heat over high heat. Add the greens, garlic, red pepper flakes, and pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until excess water cooks off, about 3 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 24 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into 24 (5-inch) rounds. Fit 12 of the dough rounds into 12 (4-inch) tart pans with removable bottom, pressing into the edges. Fill with greens and cover with the remaining dough rounds. Press bottom and top dough rounds together and gently pinch to flute. Whisk egg together with 1 tablespoon water and brush tops lightly with mixture. Place pans on a baking sheet and bake, rotating halfway through, until pies are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes; remove from molds. Serve warm.