Favorite Recipes: Kale Tart
By Lorna Jacoby
We are so fortunate to live in California where the growing season really never stops, it just slows down when it gets too cold. We do get frost which can kill plant starts but winter vegetables are pretty sturdy. Our mild winters and seasonal, root and green leafy vegetables allow us to grow year round.
Our community is lucky to have so many avid and knowledgeable gardeners. When we get together we talk about our gardens and we visit each other’s vegetable gardens and see what we are all doing. So many similarities in our winter gardens, things like sugar snap peas, kale, chard, all the brassicas (Brussel’s sprouts, cabbages of any kind, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, rutabaga, etc) collard greens, garlic, onions, fava beans, beets and so much more.
All the plants mentioned above love the cold weather, it helps them convert starch into sugar which act as an anti-freezing agent when the temperatures dip. The garden grows during the cold weather with minimal care and, though slow, it gives back. There’s nothing better than to go out to the vegetable garden and bite into the sweetest sugar snap pea, pick a few leaves of kale and chard for a frittata, lettuce and mustard greens for a small salad. It’s pure joy.
This is a vegetarian but not vegan recipe. It contains pine nuts, which can cause severe allergies to some. Please make a note of that.
Don’t miss our amazing opportunities to learn from Lorna in-person. Check out her upcoming Cooking + Dinner Series to learn more and grab your spot.
Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond meal or almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp fresh minced rosemary (leaves only)
1/4 cup olive or grape seed oil
1 tbsp water
Combine all the ingredients and press into the bottom of an 8” tart pan or springform pan. Bake crust until lightly brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Filling Ingredients:
2 large bunches of raw, finely chopped kale (you can use the stems chopped very fine otherwise just use leaves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, you can also use raw
feta cheese, crumbled (add as desired)
Instructions:
1
Warm up the oil. Chop the shallots and sauté in skillet for about 3 minutes then add the chopped kale and mix together, add the tablespoon of water and let steam. You can use the ribs of the kale if you chop them fine and sauté them for about 5 minutes, then add the shallots, then the kale. Ribs take a bit longer to soften. Sauté only until kale is wilted. Cover and let steam. Let it cool.
2
Once cooled drain liquid and mix together with eggs, cranberries and pine nuts. Fill crust and bake for 25-35 minutes until edges are golden brown and kale is cooked through.
3
Sprinkle feta cheese on top and extra toasted pine nuts before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can also make this in a square cookie sheet, cut in small pieces and serve as an appetizer. For those allergic to pine nuts omit them altogether, or you can use pistachios or toasted walnuts instead.
Variation: use pie dough and make a galette instead.
