SippitySup

Sweet Sausage Kale Pie with Apple and Raisin

Sausage Kale Pie

I’ve been waiting anxiously for the weather to turn to make this Sweet Sausage Kale Pie. Well that’s not exactly true. I’ve been waiting to make something like this Sweet Sausage Kale Pie. Because I made this pie up, on the fly. I looked in the fridge, saw what was handy and got baking.

That’s because I’ve been traveling. When I arrived home yesterday evening I was feeling really tired, but not quite the kind of tired that makes you want to roll right into bed. It was the kind of tired where I just wanted to linger over a plate of something warm and comforting. The kind of tired where you can’t really develop a plan. So I didn’t.

But I did snap a few pictures before digging in. I may have been tired, but I knew this pie had Sippity Sup potential. Because my Sweet Sausage Kale Pie turned out to be exactly what I was craving and I have a feeling there may be some evening in the near future where a casual Sweet Sausage Kale Pie with Apple and Raisin may be exactly what you’re craving too.

The only problem with my lazy pie is the fact that I didn’t plan on having this lazy feeling follow me into the next morning. But here I sit, tea in hand, trying to explain why this pie on the fly is worthy of your attention. There are “pie hole” jokes yet to mine… I suppose. But I am not feeling clever this morning. I can’t seem to muster the bluster to master even a few belly laughs.

However, I do feel obligated to make one point about this Sweet Sausage Kale Pie. It’s the most casual pie you can imagine. The pastry comes together effortlessly. It rolls out beautifully. There’s no crimping or fussy lattice-work involved. Because, like I said, I am feeling a bit pie passive. So I simply lined a gratin dish for the most unconstrained presentation possible. Not all pies are round you know. GREG
Sweet Sausage Kale Pie

Sweet Sausage, Kale and Apple Pie 

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 6Published
Sweet Sausage, Kale & Apple Pie

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 ounce unsalted butter (chilled and cut into pieces)
  • ¼ cup ice water (or more as needed)
  • 1 Granny Smith apple (peeled, halved, cored and diced)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (casings removed)
  • 1 medium onion (peeled and diced)
  • kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper (as needed)
  • ¼ pound kale (tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped)
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 1 large egg yolk ((lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash))

Directions

Make the crust: Pulse 2 ½ cups flour and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add about ¼ cup ice water in a slow, steady stream until dough just comes together in jagged clumps (no longer than 30 seconds). Divide dough in half, shape each into a disc, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days), or freeze for up to 1 month.

Place diced apple into a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the sausage to the bowl with the apple, leaving the fat in the pan. 

With the heat still set to medium, add onion to the skillet you cooked the sausage in, season generously with salt and pepper; cook stirring often until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Add kale and raisins and cook, stirring often, until kale is tender; about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; taste and adjust seasoning. Scrape the kale and onion mixture into the bowl with the sausage and apples. Stir to combine.

Place oven rack in center position. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin roll out one disc of dough to about a 13-inch round, a generous 1/8‑inch thick (save the other disc for another recipe). Trim it neatly using a 12 or 13-inch plate if you like. Carefully fold rolled dough in half, and slide onto the rolling pin. Transfer it to a 10-inch x 7‑inch x 2‑inch deep oval baking dish. Unfold dough easing it gently into the baking dish, allowing it to evenly drape over both long sides without stretching. Fill to heaping with kale and sausage mixture. Fold draped edges of dough loosely over filling, creating attractive undulations. They need not meet in the center. Move the pie to the refrigerator to chill at least 10 minutes. Once chilled, brush exposed dough with the egg wash. Lightly season the top of the pie (including the crust) with more salt and pepper.

Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in heated oven until crust is crisp and dark golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.