Green Vegetable Tart

This tart is delicious and packed with nutritious green vegetables. It is one of my husband's favorites and to my surprise my kids really liked it and ate it all up.  I usually post recipes for single batches, so everyone can multiply it to fit their family's needs. This is a quadruple batch.  I post this as a larger batch because it works easier with the amounts some of the ingredients are sold in.  Leeks are generally sold 3 to a bundle, and this utilizes all of them. It also uses a 32 oz container of ricotta cheese which is one of the two sizes it's sold in.

Adapted from: Savoring Appetizers
Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: U

Yields 4 pies.  Each pie serves 6


Crust

I like a whole wheat crust for my savory pies.  If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour or prefer a white crust, you can substitute your favorite pie dough recipe.  Make enough for 4 double crusts.


8 cups whole wheat pastry flour
4 tsp salt
6 sticks cold butter, cut into pieces
1 to 2 cups ice water

1. I like to make half the pastry dough at a time because I find that trying to make more than that often leads to over mixing and tough crust.  Combine 4 cups pastry flour with 2 tsp salt.  Cut 3 sticks of the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs.  You can do this by hand or in a food processor.
2. Add the ice water.  Start with 10 tbsps and continue to gradually add ice water until the dough just comes together.  When the dough comes together it may still look crumbly but will be able to pressed into a ball that holds together.  It's okay if there are still a few crumblies that don't fully incorporate. I am sometimes tempted to continue adding water and mixing until I get all of the crumbly bits mixed in.  Don't do this.  It will result in a tough crust. When the bulk of the dough comes together it's ready.
3. Divide the dough into four pieces.  Form each piece into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest in the refrigerator.  Make the second batch of dough.

Filling

3 leek, sliced and cleaned

4 lbs Swiss chard, leaves removed from the stems, stems discarded

4 heads of Belgain endive, cut in half lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick

8 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

32 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

2 tsp salt

1.5 oz parmesan cheese, shredded

8 eggs

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the chard leaves.  Cook them for about 3 minutes until they are wilted.  Drain the leaves into a colander lined with a clean kitchen towel.  Gather up the towel and use it to squeeze out the excess moisture.  Chop the chard.
2. In a large frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the chard, endive and leeks to the pan and saute until the endive is wilted, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Combine the ricotta, eggs, salt, parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper in a large bowl. Then add the vegetables from the pan and thoroughly combine.

Assembly

4 foil pie pans
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water

1. Roll out 4 disks of pie dough and line each pie pan with them, letting the excess dough hang over the edge.  Divide the filling evenly between the crusts.  Roll out the other 4 disks.  Cover the pie filling and crimp the bottom dough and the top dough together around the edges, trimming off the excess dough at the same time.
2. Cut a few slits in the top crust and brush the top crust with the egg wash.

To freeze:

Freeze the unbaked pies.  Then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or place in a vacuum sealed bag.

To serve:

Pull the pie out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 25 minutes.  Place an empty, metal baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.  Place the pie in the oven on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.  Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another hour.  The crust should be golden and the filling should be set.  If the edges of the pie start to brown too fast you can cover with foil to protect them while the rest of the pie bakes.  Let the pie rest for 10 minutes after being removed from the oven, then serve.

You can eat this just by itself as it is full of vegetable and protein, but I like to have something with it.  You can do a simple salad or some fruit.  I really like to serve it with mustard roasted potatoes.  Last time I made this I didn't have the time to make the mustard potatoes as in that recipe.  Instead I baked some red potatoes in the microwave, cut them in quarters and tossed them in a bowl with grainy mustard, minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and olive oil.  I didn't measure anything as this recipe is pretty flexible.  I put the coated potatoes on the the other half of the baking sheet with the pie and let them bake when the pie had about 20 minutes.  I turned the broiler on them after the pie was removed to help them crisp.  They were delicious and a lot faster and easier than the recipe.  I also think these potatoes have potential to freeze well, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.