Spinach Tart

Every spring when the spinach in the garden is ready I must make this tart.  The spinach is doing well in the garden since we have had a cold spring this year.  I have a second planting just ready to harvent too.

A spinach and strawberry salad sounds good for this batch.  The local farm where I pick strawberries sent a fryer saying their strawberries will be ready to pick this week.

The recipe below I try to reduce the fat and calories by using fat-free milk and olive oil for the pastry.  The filling I replaced cream with fat-free evaporated milk, used olive oil instead of butter, and I substituted 2 egg white for one whole egg. 

I served green beans I frozen from my garden last year, a fresh salad with radishes, chives, and fresh oregano (from the garden) and red grapes.

Spinach Tart

1 Pastry Tart, see recipe below
1 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 (12 oz.) bunches spinach
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 eggs
2 egg white (I use powder egg whites and use a hand blender to break up the powder into the whole eggs)
½ cup fat-free evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese (can use chèvre)
6 cherry tomatoes cut in half
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Tart Pastry:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose white flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup olive oil
5 to 6 tablespoons fat-free milk

Mix together pastry, until crumbly and transfer into tart pan. Spread the dough out, press it in place then put it in the refrigerator until filling is ready. Preheat the oven to 400F. Wash the fresh spinach well and remove tough stem and bruised leaves. Dry spinach and chop it. Start heating a skillet and when hot add olive oil, green onions and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Let spinach cool. Add eggs and egg whites in a medium bowl and beat until light. Mix in evaporated milk, nutmeg, salt, pepper, parsley, and the feta cheese. Squeeze out any excess water in the spinach; add to cheese mixture and mix. Pour mixture into the chilled tart pastry. Place the halved cherry tomatoes in a circle around the top of the tart. Grate the Parmesan cheese over tart. Place tart in oven and cook for 10 minutes than turn down oven to 350F. Continue baking for another 25 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean. Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings.