Escarole and salami tart

Something I’ve been trying to do more often is to bring lunch to work – eating out gets more expensive by the minute while the quality and flavor of the food get worse.

This tart might seem like a lot of work – making your own pastry! – but believe me, it’s not: you just need to plan ahead. Go wild with the filling: the original was a mix of spinach and ham, but I used what I had in my fridge. Since the tart tastes great both warm and at room temperature I brought the leftovers in my lunchbox – but, to be honest, I wish I’d had lunch somewhere else. ;)

Escarole and salami tart
adapted from the wonderful and delicious Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life

Pastry:
250g all-purpose flour
100g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
30g freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
about 1 teaspoon milk, more if necessary

Filling:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
300g (11oz) escarole, coarsely chopped
a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crème fraîche – I used homemade sour cream*
30g freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating
2 large eggs
100g (4oz) salami slices

Make the pastry: put the flour, butter, cheese and a generous pinch of salt into a food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds, until the mixture is crumbly and fine. Pour in the egg and add the milk. Pulse for a few more seconds until the mixture comes together. Scoop your dough out of the food processor onto a clean, floured work surface and pat it a few times to make it more compact – don't knead it. Shape it into a disk, wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rest for at least one hour.
Lightly butter a 33x23cm (13¼x9¼in) baking sheet. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of lightly floured baking paper until you have a 35x25cm (14x10in) rectangle. Line the sheet with the pastry, leaving a 1cm (½in) overhang. Pinch this overhanging dough up to give a little rim. This not only gives it a rustic edge but also stops the pastry from shrinking and it means there’s no need to fill the pastry case with beans or rice before baking it blind. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and chill in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
Make the filling: heat the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and a pinch of salt and gently fry the onions on a low heat for 10 minutes until they're soft and sweet, but don't let them color. Turn up the heat, add the garlic, the escarole (in batches if your pan isn't big enough) and the thyme. Season lightly and give it a good stir. Take the pan off the heat when the escarole has wilted – this will only take a couple of minutes. Set aside.
Put the crème fraîche (or sour cream) into a bowl, stir in the parmesan, eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper, mix together and set aside.
Remove the sheet from the fridge and bake your pastry crust in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. (This is called baking it blind, and it stops the pastry from going soggy when you add the filling.)
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the escarole mixture over it. Lay the salami slices over the escarole, then spoon the crème fraîche mixture evenly over the top, smoothing it out with the back of the spoon. Grate over a generous helping of Parmesan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the filling has set.
Delicious warm or at room temperature.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 4