Chard and Beet Green Pie

We've had good and bad experiences with recipes from Mark Bittman. He is responsible for us making both No-Knead Bread and Banana Goulash. This is a pretty easy biscuit-style crust for a vegetable pie, but it didn't work as smoothly as I had expected. There wasn't nearly enough dough for both a top and bottom crust that size, so I made another half batch quickly to finish the top, and the bottom was too thin to be substantial. I would either double it or leave out the bottom crust entirely. And 8 chard leaves wouldn't make much of a pie, unless he uses chard that's a whole lot more substantial than what we get. I used over a pound of combined beet greens and chard. A little less would be OK, but not a lot less. Like his previous cookbook, The Best Recipes in the World, this one seems rushed, like the recipes haven't been fully tested. This recipe is definitely close to something good and easy, but needs a little work.

Kale or Chard Pie
2 tbl. butter
About 8 large kale or chard leaves, thinly sliced [I used much more]
1 medium onion, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped mixed herbs, like parsley, thyme, chervil, and chives
6 eggs
1 cup whole-milk yogurt or sour cream
3 tbl. mayonnaise
½ tsp. baking powder
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. A minute later, add the kale and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are quite tender, about 10 minutes; do not brown. Remove from the heat, add the herbs, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Meanwhile, hard-cook 3 of the eggs, then shell and coarsely chop. Add to the cooked kale mixture and let cool while you make the batter.

Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, and remaining eggs. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until smooth. Lightly butter a 9×12-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Spread half the batter over the bottom, then top with the kale filling; smear the remaining batter over the kale, using your fingers or a rubber spatula to make sure there are no gaps in what will form the pie's top crust.

Bake for 45 minutes; it will be shiny and golden brown. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into as many squares or rectangles as you like. Eat warm or at room temperature.

From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman