Tourte Aux Blettes: Swiss Chard Tart

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Growing up in NJ, I had always heard the saying, "a man with no zucchini, is a man with no friends".

What that saying means is, since everyone has so many tomatoes and zucchini in their garden at the same time, they have to give them away!
How many zucchini breads can one person eat?

There was always a brown bag of zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant on our doorstep.
I don't need a CSA box, I have friends and neighbors!

Today's delivery was a beautiful freshly picked bouquet of Swiss chard brought over by my wanna be farmer neighbor, Glenn. It was even washed for me and arranged in a vase!



The fresher the chard is, the sweeter it is. It is always best the day it is picked.

Since I love tarts (you think?), I decided on a Tourte aux Blettes, the beautiful savory tart from Nice, France, made with Swiss chard, raisins and pine nuts.

I made a simple pastry crust from Patricia Wells cookbook Bistro Cooking, which is nothing but flour, olive oil and salt. No butter or cream needed in this recipe.



My version of Tourte aux Blettes (Savory Swiss Chard Tart):

Pastry:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 extra virgin olive oil

Filling:

1 lb. of Swiss chard leaves and most of the stems, washed
salt and pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup Zante currants (you can substitute golden raisins)

Make the crust. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the water and then the oil, mixing until thoroughly blended. Knead briefly. The dough will be very moist, like cookie dough.

Press the dough into a 10" tart pan w/ a removable bottom.

Prepare the filling.

Wash the chard thoroughly and dry it well. Chop into pieces and add to a heavy skillet w/ olive oil.



Using tongs, toss the chard around for a few minutes on medium heat until it starts to wilt, it will decrease in size by a lot. Season with salt and pepper.



When cool enough, transfer the Swiss chard to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop it finer. I did this in 2 batches.

Combine the eggs, cheese, currants and toasted pine nuts.
Add the chopped Swiss chard and mix together.



Pour into your prepared pie shell and bake at 400F for about 30-40 minutes.

You can serve this hot or cold, however, I like it best about an hour after baking, at room temperature.

Enjoy!



Comments

What a cute saying! It's nice to have friends.I've never tried swiss chard, but this certainly makes me want to!
mil said…
My Father grew swisschard in his Victory Garden way back in WWII.
And my sainted Mother canned it in the heat of the summer, no a/c of course, not even a fan to cool the hot steaming kitchen as she sterilized the Mason jars, filled them with the cooked chard and boiled (again) the finished product. Ah, memories.
Mil
p.s. Nothing as delicious as your tarte was the final result however.
Bluebird NY said…
This is a lovely way to use Swiss Chard. If I can find some that looks as good as Glenn's, I'll give it a try!
kat said…
What a great use for chard! It wonderful how people seem to be finally appreciating this green.
Diane said…
Delish! I've never ventured into the swiss chard realm, but now perhaps I shall. Keep the tarts coming, from one tart-lover to another (does that sounds a little "off?")
I LOVE swiss chard (it grows back after you cut it, the green that keeps on giving!) And I love anything in a crust. Guess what I'm making soon!
Jen_from_NJ said…
What great neighbors you have Stacey. I only find Swiss chard at my doorstep in the CSA box and I have to wash it! Your tart looks perfect.
Maria said…
Swiss chard is beautiful and so is your tart!
Bossy Chef said…
Oh this looks soooo good. I am pregnant, and now totally craving this.... for lunch... right now.... darn it! :)
Swiss chard is delicious and your tart looks wonderful! A great dish. perfect with a salad!

Cheers,

Rosa
The JR said…
Oh, that 1st picture is beautiful. What a sweet neighbor!
Lynnette said…
I love both Swiss Chard and tarts too! I usually add the chard to soups but, this sounds too wonderful not to try! Thanks for sharing.
What nice neighbors you have, but then you're probably sending them food all the time, so it's a win, win situation! I love the ease of that pastry dough with the evoo!
Claire said…
This looks amazing --can't wait to try it!
Lana said…
We love chard - it's the most giving vegetable I grew! And we love tarts and quiches. Thanks for the inspiration.
Greetings from breezy (today) California.
Foodiewife said…
The Queen of Tarts has stolen my heart. I'm growing rainbow chard, this year, and it's doing great. Another Stacey masterpiece...and you know I love that table.
PS: Have so missed not being able to visit many blogs for weeks!
Dana said…
Lucky you! I have a certified lunatic living on one side of me and a non-gardener on the other so I get a CSA. I got a big bunch of chard this week and I'm thinking tart!
Amy V said…
I was so inspired by your pictures that I had to make this tonight. Delish! I used raisins instead of the currants...what a great and interesting flavor they offer. My only question - did you blind bake the crust first? I did not and found that it seemed a bit doughy. Otherwise, this was a perfect 10. What a great idea. And you're pictures are always such an inspiration.
Stacey Snacks said…
Amy,
My crust was very thin, so I didn't need to blind bake it.
I am glad you liked it!
Stacey
Sherry G said…
I've never had swiss chard, but that looks great!
Made last night. Fabulous and wonderful at room temperature. I didn't have a pan with a removable bottom, so used a regular pie pan. worked perfectly and the crust was lovely. I'll make this again and again. Thanks Stacey!