Showing posts with label foraging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foraging. Show all posts

Video Recipe: Savory Rustic Tart with Wild Greens, Ricotta & Prosciutto

Recipe for the Savory Tart with Wild Greens, Prosciutto & Ricotta
During a hands-on cooking class at La Tavola Marche (farm, inn & cooking school) in Le Marche, Italy guests forage for wild greens in the field in front of our 300 year old farmhouse. Jason helps guests identify the different edibles and with bags full of dandelion greens, poppy greens, grispigno & more they head into the kitchen to create a rustic tart with the fresh picked wild greens, ricotta & prosciutto.  
  During the dog days of winter, enjoy this slice of life/glimpse at one of our Spring cooking classes!
Visit us during April/May 2014 for one of our Spring Cooking & Foraging Holidays in Italy:
  
Recipe for the Savory Tart with Wild Greens, Prosciutto & Ricotta
Torta di Erbe Selvatiche


Pastry Dough
Ingredients:
2 3/4 Cups (250 gr) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (150 gr.) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons ice water
pinch of salt

Method:
Sift flour into a mound, add the butter & pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingers or food processor. When mixture resembles crumbly coarse sand incorporate the egg & water. Knead 2-3 times.
Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling
Ingredients:
2 Cups (400 gr) of cooked, drained and squeezed dry greens (mix of wild greens or chard, spinach, escarole, etc.)
1 Cup (250 gr.) sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
zest of half a lemon
generous handful of Parmesan
2-3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
salt & pepper
1 egg, separated

Method:
Cook your greens in boiling, salted water depending on the toughness (spinach may only need 20-30 seconds, chard needs 3-4 minutes).  Drain and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the greens. Combine the greens in a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, lemon, prosciutto, salt & pepper. Taste & check your seasonings.

To Assemble the Tart:
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 185 C

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and split in half. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thickness and line the bottom of a tart or pie pan. (We use 9-inch or 25 cm but you can make individual tarts as well.) Make sure to have enough dough to fold the edges back over the the top.

Once pastry is lined in pan, brush with egg white then fill with a generous amount of the chard mixture (filling in evenly).

Brush folded over part on the top with egg yolk as well.

Place in oven, bake 45 minutes - 1 hour until pastry is golden brown & filling is bubbly. Serve warm or room temperature.

Elderflower Syrup & Cordial

Elderflowers or fiori di sambuco are in bloom in Italy! This flower from the elderberry tree makes a lovely light floral lemonade-like flavored syrup to be added to drinks (sparking water, vodka, gin or grappa), desserts or sorbets - depending on your mood. It makes an amazing vinegerette over salad as well! This can be served along breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - perfect a for hot summer's day!

Syrup of Elderflower 
Sciroppo di fiori di sambuco:

20 elderflowers (nice big heads), gently shake off any insects & trim any excess branches/leaves
4 lemons, sliced
1.5 kg  sugar
1.8 liters water
60 gr  citric acid

Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve. 
Once cooled, pour the the sugar-water and all ingredients into a big jar & cover, leave for 36-48 hours, stirring occasionally. (Some recipes say up to 3 days).
 Then remove lemons & elderflowers and strain the water a few times (if you have a cheese cloth it will help).
Pour the syrup into a pot and cook for about 3-5 minutes minutes.
Then pour the liquid into clean sterilized glass bottles. Close them. Let them cool before placing in the refrigerator. If using a secure seal, they will keep for almost a year in the refrigerator.

To serve, pour 1-3 tablespoons of the syrup into a pint glass and add water or seltzer. Or you can add a tablespoon to a couple shots of vodka or gin.

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