Swiss Chard Tart with Three Cheeses

My organic vegetable garden is swinging into high gear now, and my Swiss chard plants are the most recent to offer their first harvest of the season. After mulling over possibilities for what to do with these garden beauties last night, I settled on making a chard tart for a change of pace.

This recipe is essentially the result of just winging it, using ingredients already on hand in my refrigerator that were begging to be used: ricotta, mozzarella, romano cheese, some leftover ham, and fresh parsley from the garden.  Although my cooking experiments are often hit-or-miss affairs, my taste buds told me that this recipe was a success and worth sharing. Served with a tomato salad and a glass of wine, the tart made a lovely meal last night.

Note: For cooks in a hurry, pre-made, pre-rolled pie crust dough, available in any grocery store, would work well for this tart. Just skip step 1 shown below and begin with step 2.

Ingredients

For the tart shell:

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chilled butter
2-3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

2 pounds swiss chard leaves, thoroughly rinsed in two changes of water and drained
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella (or any lightly-flavored white cheese), grated
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
1 egg
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
A grating of fresh black pepper
(optional) 1/2 cup ham, cubed

Preparation

1. Prepare the tart shell: In large mixing bowl, cut the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and butter with a pastry blender or your finger tips until the mixture is of a pea-sized grain. Sprinkle the mixture with 2 tablespoons of water and mix very gently. Add additional water teaspoon-by-teaspoon, if necessary, until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Flatten the ball slightly with your hands, place between two sheets of wax or parchment paper, and shape with a rolling pin to a thin circle approximately 9-10″ in diameter. Chill.
2. Trim tough stems ends, if any, from the chard leaves (discarding to the compost bin), stack the leaves, and cut them into 1″ slices across the long side of the leaves.



3. In a large frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil on medium-high heat until golden. Add the chard leaves and lemon juice, cover the pan, and allow to cook for one minute or until the chard has wilted. Uncover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to sauté the mixture, stirring occasionally, for approximately three minutes or until the chard is just tender and all liquid has evaporated (important!). Set the pan aside until cooled to room temperature.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Romano cheese, egg, parsley, nutmeg, and pepper. Mix well. Add the cooled chard and onion mixture from the frying pan and the optional ham, if used.
5. Lightly oil a large baking sheet. Remove the paper from the rolled tart dough, and carefully place the dough in the center of the baking sheet. Repair any holes in the dough by pressing with your fingers.



6. Spoon the filling mixture into the center of the rolled tart shell and spread the filling, leaving a 2″ margin of uncovered dough around the full perimeter. Carefully fold the dough edges over the the filling, crimping the dough as needed.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately 30-35 minutes or until the filling mixture is cooked through and the tart dough golden brown. Serve warm. Serves four to six as a main course.

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