What’s a vegetarian to do when the chilly forecast and a skeletal greenmarket conspire to drive her into the arms of Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese or the red-wine braised quick ribs of yesteryear? Properly, just a few years into my complete “weekday vegetarian” factor, I found {that a} good start line for addressing this downside is the common-or-garden mushroom. So far as I can inform, the whole thing of them — from grocery retailer buttons to speciality market maitakes — appear to be the one factor within the vegetable kingdom that may approximate the identical sort of meaty umami I crave when the mercury dips, particularly when they’re cooked all the way down to a concentrated crisp.
To be filed beneath “I’ve By no means Meet a Tart I Didn’t Love,” right here is that this Mushroom-and-Chives take, a winter cousin of spring’s Asparagus Tart, and simply as straightforwardly gorgeous. Serve it with a salad, and also you’ve received your self a go-to consolation meals menu for winter.
Mushroom Tart with Chives
by Jenny Rosenstrach
Be aware: Make sure you go away just a few hours in your puff pastry to thaw.
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra as vital
20 ounces combined mushrooms (I used child Bellas, shiitake, and oyster right here), finely chopped
kosher salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 clove, garlic
1 14-ounce frozen puff pastry (reminiscent of Dufour model), thawed
1 egg, whisked
1/2 cup ricotta or crème fraîche
2 tablespoons chives
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Warmth the oven to 400°F.
Add olive oil, mushrooms, salt, and pepper, to a big skillet set over medium warmth and prepare dinner till mushrooms have misplaced a major quantity of moisture. (It’s okay if they appear piled up too excessive within the pan, they are going to shrink as they prepare dinner.) Push the mushrooms to the perimeter of the pan, then add onion and garlic, plus extra oil if it seems to be dry, and prepare dinner one other 3 minutes, stirring typically so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Whereas the mushrooms are cooking down, roll out the puff pastry on a flour-dusted floor and switch to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Utilizing a pointy knife, calmly draw/rating a rectangle in the midst of the pastry (with out slicing via), leaving a one-inch border. (This may assist the edges puff up when baking.) Utilizing your fingers or a pastry brush, brush the perimeter of the puff pastry with the whisked egg. In a small mixing bowl, mix the crème fraîche (or ricotta), chives, any remaining egg, salt, and pepper, and, utilizing a rubber spatula, unfold the combination within the drawn rectangle. (It’s okay in the event you go exterior the traces a little bit!)
Scoop the mushroom-onion combination on high, evenly dividing every little thing, then high with Parm. Bake for 20-25 minutes till pastry is golden and puffy and the mushrooms look shriveled. Serve heat or at room temperature.
Thanks, Jenny! Comply with her publication right here, in the event you’d like.
P.S. A squash ricotta tart, three no-fuss recipes for winter, and a pantry pasta for busy weeknights.