TOMATO, SPINACH AND SPRING ONION PIE

Steps:

• Set oven at 425 deg F/220 deg Celsius.
• Use a generous pie plate: mine wasn't standard, and measured 7 1/2" across at the bottom, 10 1/2 inches across the top, and was a little more than 2" deep. Any pie dish will do.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured board, and cut out a generous circle (lay the pie plate upside down on the pastry and cut with a knife in a wide circle around it).
• Grease the pie plate lightly with oil, then plonk in the pastry and fit without stretching. Crimp the edges.
• Whisk the 3 eggs, then use a brush and brush the pastry all over with the egg. Keep the beaten eggs.If necessary put the lined pie plate in the fridge.
• I found lovely purple-bottomed sping onions, but use whatever you have: chop them and scatter evenly into the bottom of the pie plate, to cover. If you don't have spring onions, try rings of sweet onion.
• In this case I used Swiss Chard, a soft,light green kind, from my own garden, but frozen, cooked and drained is just fine. I called it "spinach" because it's a shorter word, but swiss chard is what I use. If you prepare this early in the day, you can leave it to drain, and press out more liquid before using. Stir in salt and nutmeg.
• Whenever I make a white sauce, I use a shortcut: put the milk in a small pot, whisk in the tablespoon flour, add a pinch of salt, and then whisk until milk comes to the boil and thickens. So try that here, and you cut out the butter normally used.
• Pull off the heat, whisk once or twice, then add the cheese, Tabasco and garlic.
• Stir the cheese sauce into the spinach.
• Also stir in the egg mixture left over after you "painted" the pastry into the drained swiss chard/spinach. The eggs will help firm up the mixture during baking.
• Rosa tomatoes are small plum-shaped tomatoes, and they are especially sweet. If you can't get them, use cherry tomatoes or even tomato slices, but in the latter cases, sprinkle over a little sugar. Rosa tomatoes simply explode in the mouth in a burst of sweet flavour.
• Ladle the swiss chard mixture over the spring onions in the lined pie plate. Scatter the basil leaves over the swiss chard.
• Pack the rosa tomatoes all over the top. (See my original photograph). If not using rosa, sprinkle over a little sugar.
• Brush with olive oil or, preferably, spray the tomatoes with an olive oil and garlic spray.
• Put in the preheated oven. Keep at that high heat for about 10 - 15 mins, then turn heat down to 350 deg.
• Bake for about 30 mins or more, until pie has risen and is set.
• Serve hot or warm, in slices, with a main dish of meat and a side salad.