Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Tart
On October 21, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI was able to pick up swiss chard, for a song, at this week’s market. Now, creating meals around this favorite green, has been my charge. This morning I was longing for the buttery crust of pie with the wholesome chew
of comfort. I threw together this tart in a jiff, simply using larder staples.
Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Tart
1 pie crust–press in to an 8-9″ tart pan
1 medium sweet potato–1/4″ slice and halved
1/2 onion–halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic–finely chopped
1 Tbs (about) olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard–ribs removed and chopped into thin ribbons
generous pinch salt and pepper
generous pinch freshly ground nutmeg (or small pinch of dried)
6 large eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbs grated parmesan
2 stems thyme–stems removed (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1/2 cup grated cheese (asiago,white cheddar, provolone, or jack)
Preheat oven to 375F. Blind bake the crust for about 20 minutes. When you remove the weights, you will fill with the custard and place back in the oven to continue baking. Heat a large skillet over low heat. Pour in enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in the potatoes and onions. Cook until the potato and onions begin to soften. You are not frying for color, you are softening the vegetables. Toss in the garlic and swiss chard and continue on low-stirring occasionally) until the chard is droopy and has cast off some moisture. Do not let the garlic burn. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Pour into the par-baked crust and spread evenly to cover the entire bottom. Gently whisk the eggs, yogurt, thyme and parmesan together in a bowl. You want to incorporate the yogurt (eliminating large lumps) without incorporating too much air. Pour over the vegetables. Reduce oven heat to 350F and place the tart on a sheet pan and then in oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the eggs do not jiggle when you gently tap the pan, and the crust is golden brown.
Chard & Ricotta Pie
On July 29, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerWhen we are up at the cabin, I don’t always have a full larder. I do however, have a garden and a few cheats in the freezer. This invariably leads to simple and creative dinners. I was able to whip this up in a snap. Mostly because, our garden overflows with chard.
Chard and Ricotta Pie
10 sheets filo dough
olive oil
grated parmesan
1 garlic clove–finely chopped
1/2 medium onion–finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1 bunch (about 12 large leaves/4 cups chopped)–chopped–discarding stems
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp freshly grated parmesan
a few turns of the pepper-mill
Use an 8×10 pan. Layer the filo by brushing each sheet with olive oil, and a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese. The bottom layer should be 6 sheets. Trim the ends and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on low–toss in the garlic and onion. cook just until the onions begin to sweat and turn translucent. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Toss in the chard and allow to wilt, giving a good stir to evenly cook. After about 5 minutes, toss in about 1/4 cup of water and cover. Allow the chard to get nice and soft. allow to cool slightly. strain off the liquid and place in a bowl. add the ricotta, parmesan, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and pepper.
evenly spread into the prepared filo crust. Take the remaining 4 leaves of filo one by one and scrunch them in a loose accordion. Place on top of the spinach layer, making sure to cover the entire top of the pie. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a bit more cheese.
Bake at 375F for about 30-35 minutes. You will look for the filo to be nice and crispy. Serve warm or room temperature. This is very easy to crisp up in the oven for a “next-day” treat!