Savory Rustic Greens Tart…or how I started to love greens

Savory Rustic Greens Tart with Red Wine and Tomatoes

I haven’t loved greens my whole life.  My Mom used to boil greens until they were limp and tasteless.  It didn’t get any better when I went to college in the south where greens were boiled for what seemed to be hours with ham hocks.  Again, a tasteless limp vegetable that I (and I think many) simply didn’t enjoy.

I think the first time I realized how good greens (turnip, collard, kale, beet) can be was when a friend who is a trained chef cooked some for a dinner party.  These greens were not the limp,  tasteless greens of my past but instead were sumptuous and tasty with nice texture.

The Rustic Tart with Greens inspiration came when my friend, Gwen, offered to share her

This cold frame grew greens over the winter at my friend's house in Salt Lake City

bounty of greens that she had been growing all winter in a cold frame.  She had quite the variety of greens with Tuscan, Russian and other heirloom varieties of kale plus several varieties of spinach.

Rustic Tart with Greens

This recipe makes enough for 2 tart shells. I freeze one to use later. It is always nice to have the crust already made and ready to go when I want to make a tart. Just pull the extra dough out of the freezer and put in the fridge over night or just leave on the counter for a few hours

Cornmeal Tart Shell:

• 2 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 cup  whole wheat flour
• 1 cup medium coarse corn meal
• 1 teaspoon fine grain salt
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, cut in cubes
• 1/3 cup grated cheese (I use whatever hard cheese I have around such as cheddar cheese or Parmesan)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup – 3/4 cup cold water

Filling:

• 3 ounces of soft goat cheese (chevre)
• 3 cups (packed) of coarsely chopped various greens, whatever you have. Such as kale, collard, spinach, beet, etc.
• 2 green onions coarsely chopped.
• Fresh herbs, whatever you have such as oregano, basil, thyme, chives, a little rosemary, chop about ½ – ¾ cups
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese, I use use Beehive Cheese’s Barely Buzzed with is a cheddar cheese rubbed with lavender and espresso but any good quality cheddar cheese will work
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Freshly sliced tomatoes (optional)

Start by making the tart dough.  Combine flours, corn meal, and salt in a food processor.  Pulse in the butter and cheese until the mixture looks like small pebbles.  Mix the egg is a small bowl with 1/4 cup of water.  Pulse to combine and trickle in more water if needed, just enough until the dough comes together.

Turn out onto a floured counter top cutting board and gather into a ball.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces, shape each into a ball.  Wrap one ball in plastic wrap and put into a zip lock bag to freeze  for later us.  With the second ball of dough gently press into 1/2 inch thick disk, wrap in plastic and put into refrigerator for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place a rack in the middle of the oven.

Take the tart dough out of the refrigerator and roll out the disk into a circle about 1/4 inch in thickness.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Take the goat cheese and spread on the tart dough to about 1 1/2 inches from the sides.  Mix the copped greens, herbs, salt and pepper together in a bowl.  Place the greens mixture onto the tart dough leaving about 1 1/2 to 2 inches along the sides.  If using tomatoes place them on top of the greens.  Place the shredded cheddar cheese on top.  Fold about  2  inches of the sides over the tart to make a rustic looking tart.   Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until the greens are soft and the cheddar cheese is melted.  Remove the pan and cool on a baking rack before cutting.

Use a serrated knife or bread knife to cut.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Finished tart ready for cutting, serve warm or at room temperature.