Last night, I got home right at 5:30pm and decided I was going to spend some time in the kitchen (since I had time to spend – Brian doesn’t usually get home until at least 7pm). What to make, what to make…
I got my weekly CSA box on Tuesday and it came with some beautiful mushrooms. I love mushrooms.
So, I set out to make a dish that had mushrooms as the star. And because my husband doesn’t think it counts as a meal if it doesn’t have meat, I decided to saute up a chicken breast, too.
The basic ingredients included chicken (as a stand-alone), mushrooms, spinach, onion, marsala wine, and goat cheese (added it semi-last-minute, so it’s not included in the above pic).
Oh and I also use these bad boys:
I used them to make a single pie crust. That I used to make a tart. And it was yuuuummy.
The tart had mushrooms, browned in marsala wine,
Caramelized onions,
and spinach (which I added spinach to the mushrooms so they could wilt a little).
Then I piled all those tasty goodies on my whole wheat pie crust and popped it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
{see those butter pieces… yea, I use an all-butter crust recipe and it is delicious}
After 20 minutes at 350, I upped the temp to 400 and left the tart in for another 20 minutes until the cheese was starting to brown.
And I served that alongside simple chicken breast filets. It was delicious.
You can put whatever you want on top of pie crust to make a tart like this. Seriously, whatever. You are IN CHARGE. Do whatever you want. Just make sure whatever you add is in bite-sized pieces. Makes it easier to eat…
I hope you enjoy this little recipe – it’s nice to make something that feels a little special on a totally non-special night. Try it out!
Mushroom, Onion, Spinach and Goat Cheese Rustic Tart
Ingredients:
Crust
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter (unsalted), very, very cold and cut into cubes
ice water
Tart
2 cups mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup marsala wine
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
2 cups spinach
1 T butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup goat cheese (up to you!)
To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl (larger than you think). Add the very, very cold butter cubes and blend in with a pastry cutter or forks until the butter is the size of small peas (yes, stop here, I promise it’s worth it!). Add in ice water slowly, a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. You’ll probably need 3/4 cup or so, but it’s better to add it in slowly. Once you can create a cohesive ball, put the ball in some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge while you prepare the tart ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add the olive oil to one pan and heat the pan to medium high. Add the mushroom and saute for about 5 minutes (until the mushrooms have softened a bit). Add in the marsala and simmer for about 15 minutes until mushrooms are very soft. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another pan and add the onions. Saute the onions until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. I like to do both the mushrooms and onions at the same time because they take around the same time to finish up. Once the mushrooms are done, fold in the spinach. Cover mushrooms and spinach for 5 minutes so the spinach can wilt a bit.
Roll out the dough into a round-ish shape (it doesn’t have to be perfect, hence the “rustic” nature of this dish). Roll it to about 1/4 inch in thickness. Add the mushroom spinach mixture, then top with the onions and goat cheese. Fold over the edges. Put in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rotate the pan and increase the temp to 400 degrees. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the crust is crispy and the cheese is starting to brown.
Cut into 6 pieces and enjoy!
