A slice of this Spinach Tart served with salad greens + a simple vinaigrette = elegant lunch that’s quite simple to make. It is also a favorite of mine for wine tastings—delicious, (and alcohol absorbing…), yet mellow enough to not distract from the wines. You can use any mix of greens and onions: spinach, mustard greens, braising greens, regular onions, cipollinis, red, green, garlic scapes, you name it. A more egg-y, less cheese-y, currant and pinenut-free version of my other favorite tart, Rustic Chard Tart.
The purple-ish pastry version above used half buckwheat flour, half spelt. 100% spelt will give you pastry that looks like this:
(Thanks, again, go out to Nick Malgieri for the Italian Egg Pastry!)
Rustic Spinach Tart with Italian Egg Pastry
makes one 9-10 inch tart
Ingredients
Italian Egg Pastry
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp lukewarm water
- ⅔ cup spelt flour
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Tart Filling
- 2 pounds spinach or other sturdy greens, 1-inch chiffonade
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced lengthwise then chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Pastry
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Sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm water in a mixing bowl and let stand until yeast is dissolved. Mix in the egg, olive oil, salt, and spelt flour. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a couple minutes. Shape into a ball and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes before rolling.
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For gluten free version: substitute ⅓ cup oat flour and ⅓ cup gluten-free flour blend (my recipe is here) for the spelt and add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
Tart Filling
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Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and greens, cook until wilted. Transfer to a colander held over the sink or a plate and press out any liquid then transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.
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Put cooked greens/onion in a bowl and add ricotta, eggs, ¾ cup parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix and turn into lightly greased, pastry-lined springform pan. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup parm, fold over pastry edges and bake at 425° oven for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 375° and cook 15 minutes longer, until filling is set. Let cool slightly before serving.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- Serve with a green salad dressed with a tangy vinaigrette.
- To warm up a chilled tart, cover with foil and heat in a 300° oven for 15 minutes or so. Microwaving will do in a pinch, but it is not kind to pastry, so only do this as a last resort.
