Proud Italian Cook

Spring Vegetable Ricotta Tart with Phyllo

May 7, 2014 by Marie 22 Comments

What do you do with a bunch of asparagus, some artichoke hearts, a handful of fava beans, a leek and a few cherry tomatoes? You make a tart of course!

I always buy a pound or two of ricotta every week and I like to keep a box of phyllo dough handy at all times, it’s amazing what you can do with it, it’s so easy and forgiving to work with, and besides, I love the crunch factor it gives!

The ricotta cheese is pumped up and flavored with a hint of garlic, fresh basil, grated romano, asiago and fontina cheeses and an egg which makes for a creamy and very flavorful filling to have on top of the crunchy phyllo.

Press your pre-roasted vegetables right into the ricotta mixture and bake until the phyllo reaches a rich golden brown and the ricotta sets up.

All you’ll need is a salad on the side and your spring meal is complete!

This is the salad I served with my tart, a combination of tomatoes, avocado and olives on a bed of arugula with a lemon and olive oil dressing.

Dig in, you won’t even miss the meat!

Spring Vegetable Ricotta Tart with Phyllo

Ingredients

I used an 11½" x 7½" rectangle tart pan with removable bottom so the recipe will reflect that size pan, but feel free to adjust the recipe if using a 9 or 10 inch round tart pan instead.
4 cups of ricotta, drained
2 eggs
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
handfull of chopped fresh basil
½ cup of grated romano cheese
½ cup of grated fontina
½ cup of grated asiago
salt and pepper to taste
8 sheets of phyllo dough
olive oil, preferably in spray form
1 bunch of asparagus, cut in half diagonally
a large leek, cleaned thoroughly and sliced into rounds
½ cup cooked and shelled fava beans or replace with peas
1 heaping cup or so of artichoke hearts
1 cup or so cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Instructions

Pre-roast all veggies except the tomatoes, if using fava beans have them preboiled with skins off, if using peas instead, frozen and defrosted is fine.
In a bowl whip the romano, asiago, fontina along with the basil, garlic and eggs into the ricotta until well incorporated.
Layer each sheet of phyllo one by one into your olive oil greased tart pan fitting it in around the bottom and sides and spraying or brushing each sheet with olive oil as you go, if it rips don't worry it will look fine in the end.
When finished layering each sheet spread the ricotta mixture all over.
Press your veggies all around into the ricotta.
Drizzle the top of the tart and sides of dough with olive oil, sprinkle with romano and bake.
Bake in a 400 F. oven, keep checking after 15 minutes, make sure the crust is deep golden and ricotta is set.
Let it cool down before you cut into it.

22 Comments Filed Under: Salads, Savory Tarts, Vegetables Tagged: avocado salad, phyllo, phyllo tarts, savory ricotta tart, spring vegetables

Chicken Nicoise Salad

April 29, 2014 by Marie 15 Comments

The latest kick I’ve been on is making composed salads. Just what is a composed salad you might ask? Here’s the definition, “A salad in which the components are elaborately put together or arranged, then drizzled with a vinaigrette rather than tossed”.

A composed salad is a balance of different colors, flavors and textures and when it’s arranged on a platter it’s very appealing to the eye, and the more color the better!

I repeat, it must be placed on a platter, no bowls allowed and no tossing!

It doesn’t matter what ingredients you use, the possibilities are endless! We all know of the famous Tuna Nicoise salad, well I swapped out chicken for the tuna and used other ingredients that I had on hand.

This salad was inspired from a rotisserie chicken I got from Whole Foods and some vegetables I cooked up before they went bad, which in my case were beets, red potatoes, green beans and some peppers. I added in hard boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives, placed it all on a bed of arugula and drizzled it with a fresh lemon and olive oil dressing. This is a very substantial salad, maybe a little bread on the side and that’s it!

No exact recipe here just let your imagination go wild, use what’s in season and what you have on hand, it’s hearty, healthy and oh so delicious!

15 Comments Filed Under: Poultry, Salads Tagged: composed salad, gluten free, Nicoise salad, rotisserie chicken

Roasted Vegetable Tart with Eggplant Crust

April 24, 2014 by Marie 20 Comments

Here’s an all vegetable tart with an extra healthy spin on a it because there’s no pastry involved when putting it together!

Thick sturdy slices of roasted eggplant form the perfect crust to encase all your vegetables, it’s healthy, much lighter and very pretty in it’s presentation.

Simple to do with just a little prep work of roasting or grilling your vegetables ahead of time, then all you do is layer the cooked eggplant all around your tart pan, your favorite cheese will bind it all together.

Arrange all your vegetables on top and then place it all into the oven.

The cheese will bond everything together when melted, and the top will be nice and golden, just like this!

It’s crispy on the edges and creamy in the middle. Would you care for a slice?

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Tart with Eggplant Crust

Ingredients

9 inch flutted tart pan with removable bottom, lightly brushed inside with olive oil
3 medium eggplant, cut longwise into ½ inch slices
2 zucchini, cut on the diagonal
1 yellow squash, cut on the diagonal
a handful of grape tomatoes, halved
6 to 8 small asparagus
shredded fontina and asiago cheese,plus a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan.
chopped basil and parsley for garnish
olive oil

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 F. drizzle a sheet pan with olive oil, place eggplant slices on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and more olive oil, roast until soft and nicely golden, watch so they don't get well done and too crispy, you want them still pliable. Set aside.
Roast the zucchini and yellow squash the same way. No need to roast asparagus or tomato slices.
To arrange the tart place eggplant slices all around the pan and bottom, you want the rounded part of the eggplant to form the scalloped edge.
Shred enough cheese to generously cover the bottom of the tart then arrange your veggies all around.
And some of the shredded cheeses on top but do not totally cover the vegetables, you want to be able to see them.
Place tart pan on top of a baking sheet and place into a 400 F. preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, the cheese should be melted and the top a golden brown.
Cool down before cutting.
*** NOTE**** You can replace roasted veggies with grilled.