Show of hands…who’s having Tofurkey this Thanksgiving?
Ya…me neither! This vegetarian has never even tasted Tofurkey, probably never will
taste a Tofurkey! Google a picture of
Tofurkey, I dare ya…it will send shivers up your spine!
Now Lentil & Mushroom Tart is a whole notha story, I can
eat this over and over again! In fact I
did; I knew that this was going to be really, really good, so I doubled the
recipe and made two tarts. One I served
to my ladies bible study group, (basically they were my guinea pigs) and I’ve
been getting requests for the recipe ever since. And the other I kept for home, and when I
gave it to Billy to eat for lunch, he eyed it suspiciously at first, cuz a tart
for lunch is kind of a girl thing, and then after that initial hesitant bite he
dove in and devoured the rest!
This savory tart has layer upon layer of flavor; with
peppery lentils, earthy mushrooms, sweet caramelized onions, walnuts for
texture and creamy goat’s cheese. I like
the crispness of the fillo dough crust in contrast to the soft filling. To keep Mushroom & Lentil Tart healthier
I used heart healthy extra virgin olive oil in place of butter in the pastry
layer, and there is only 4 ounces of goat cheese in the entire tart. Aside from every bite being packed with
flavor, it’s also packed with protein.
Mushroom & Lentil Tart is fancy enough to serve as an
appetizer and it’s hearty enough to serve as an entrée, the flavors will
compliment pretty much every dish that you might make for a holiday meal, which
is why I think that is a great addition to the Thanksgiving table. Vegetarian or not, everyone will ooh and aah
over this dish!
LENTIL & MUSHROOM TART
Serves 4 to 6 as an entrée, 8 as a side or appetizer
FOR THE TART
½ lb. Fillo pastry sheets, thawed (my
package comes with two ½ lb. portions)
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups Cooked and drained Lentils
1 recipe Caramelized onions (recipe follows)
1 recipe Browned mushrooms (recipe follows)
1/3 cup Chopped walnuts, which have been
toasted in a skillet
1 recipe Egg base, (recipe follows)
4 oz. Goat cheese
1. Place one of the
oven racks into the lowest slots in the oven and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a coat of olive oil on to a 10 inch tart
pan, which has been placed on a sheet pan.
2. Brush a generous
amount of olive oil onto one side of the first sheet of fillo dough, place that
on to the bottom of the tart pan allowing about 3 inch over hang, repeat with 5
more sheets of pastry, lining the bottom of the tart pan to create the bottom
layer. For the remaining sheets of fillo
dough you can use a lighter hand in brushing the oil on to each sheet of pastry,
or use an oil mister to make for quick work, lay the sheets one by one covering
the entire bottom of the pan, and coming up the sides, to create an even crust. Fold and roll the excess pastry over to make
an attractive edge, brush that with oil.
3. Spread the lentils
in an even layer in the bottom of the tart.
Spread the walnuts, caramelized onions, and browned mushrooms also
evenly over the lentils. Gently pour the
egg base into the tart. Crumble the goat
cheese over the top.
4. Bake for 35 to 45
minutes, on the lowest rack in the oven, until the center has set and the crust
is deep golden brown. Allow the tart to
cool for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the tart pan, and then cutting into slices using a serrated knife.
Serve the tart hot, or at room
temperature.
*Note: This tart may
be prepared in advance by partially cooking the tart, and then cooking in the rest
of the way through when you’re ready to serve, making this a great dish for
entertaining! To do this: bake the tart for only 30 minutes, and allow
it to cool slightly, before covering and refrigerating, do not remove the tart from the pan. And then when you’re ready to reheat, remove
the tart from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30
minutes, and then finish cooking in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 to 20
minutes, until the tart is heated all the way through. By the time it’s heated through, it will be
completely cooked.
FOR THE LENTILS
½ cup Lentils, green or Puy
1 ½ cups Water
1 Bay
leaf
10 stems Fresh thyme, or 2 sprigs of rosemary
¼ tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1. Add all of the
ingredients except for the olive oil
to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil,
and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are
tender.
2. Drain the lentils
and toss them to coat with the olive oil, remove and discard the bay leaf and
thyme or rosemary stems; set to the side.
Note* If you’ve got leftover lentils you can use those and skip
this step, you will need 1 ¼ cups of cooked, drained lentils.
FOR THE CARAMELIZED ONIONS
1 Medium
onions, sliced
10 stems Fresh thyme, or a couple of sprigs of
rosemary (there’s no need to pull the leave off)
½ Tbsp. Butter
½ Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. Sugar
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1. Add all of the
ingredients except for the balsamic
vinegar to a large skillet, start the skillet on medium-high heat and stir
frequently, just until the onions begin to get soft, and then turn the heat
down to medium and cook stirring occasionally until the onions have caramelized
and are an almost jam like consistency, about 20 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook just
until the vinegar has evaporated. Remove
the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool. Remove and discards the stems from the thyme
or rosemary.
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
12 oz. Mushrooms, button or cremini, sliced
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 tsp. Fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp. fresh
rosemary which has been finely chopped
Salt
and pepper to taste
1. Heat the olive oil
over medium-high heat, in a large heavy skillet. Add the mushrooms, leave them for a couple of
minutes to brown on the bottom side, and then turn them and season with fresh thyme (or rosemary),
and a couple of pinches each of salt and pepper; cook for a couple of more
minutes stirring occasionally, when the mushroom are completely browned remove them from
the heat and allow to cool.
**Notes: I have been
advised of, though I've not tried it myself as of yet, a method for caramelizing onions in the oven, which I learned after
making this recipe. If you want to give
it a shot it may make life easier. You
may also brown the mushrooms in the oven at the same time, but on separate
pans. To do this, pre-heat the oven to
425 degrees. For the Caramelized onions,
toss all of the ingredients together on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for
30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice.
For the mushrooms, toss all of the ingredients together on a sheet pan,
roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once.
FOR THE EGG BASE
2 Eggs
½ cup Milk
1/3 cup Heavy cream
2 Tbsp. Plain Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp. Freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
1. Whisk all the
ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Can't say I blame you on the Tofurky front...I'm not a fan either! I want this tart for breakfast! My meat-loving family would absolutely adore this veggie tart - I'm thinking this would make for a most excellent holiday side (or breakfast!!)
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