Serves a Crowd

Stretching-Toward-Spring Vegetable Tart with Whole Wheat-Rosemary Shell

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March  9, 2011
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Stretching-Toward-Spring Vegetable Tart with Whole Wheat-Rosemary Shell
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

This tart was inspired by what I consider a really great pizza: whole wheat crust, lots of roasted vegetables and really good cheese. It's great as a vegetarian main course in late winter because the baked ricotta and savory shell offer some comforting indulgence, while the veggies stretch in the direction of spring dishes. You can easily vary the toppings: try caramelized onions (never a bad idea!), roasted red bell peppers, sauteed eggplant or roasted garlic. —julie_chicago

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Whole Wheat Tart Shell
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cups ice water
  • Tart filling
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
  • Satl and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 ounces Portobello mushrooms, sliced and cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (lowfat or regular)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Directions
  1. Whole Wheat Tart Shell
  2. To make the tart shell: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a food processor, pulse the flours, salt and rosemary to combine. Add the cold, diced butter and pulse until you have a coarse mixture roughly the size of small peas. Sprinkle ¼ c. of the ice water over the flour mixture, then pulse again, adding additional water as needed until the dough just starts to come together. It should still look scraggly and a little sandy at this point. You don’t want to get it so wet that it forms a ball in the food processor.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, pressing and kneading it together and forming it into a disk. Roll into a 12 or 13 inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick, with a floured rolling pin, keeping the dough moving on your floured surface so it does not stick. Drape the dough over your rolling pin and transfer it into a 9 or 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the sides of the pan and trim any excess dough hanging over the edges. You can use these extra pieces to patch any holes. Prick the dough all over with a fork and freeze for 20 minutes.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes or until shell is just beginning to color.
  1. Tart filling
  2. While tart shell bakes, prepare filling: Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook 3-4 minutes, or until soft. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining oil and the mushrooms to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture and fresh thyme to the asparagus and stir gently to combine.
  3. In another bowl, combine the ricotta and feta. Season with pepper and just a pinch of salt if desired (because the feta is salty). Stir in the egg. Spread the cheese mixture inside the tart shell. Spread the vegetables over the cheese. Bake (still at 400 F) for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly puffed. Rest for about 10 minutes on a cooling rack and serve.
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