There is something special about homemade pastry. Its buttery and flaky and this one from Julia Ostro takes just a few minutes to make – just be sure all of the ingredients are very cold for best results. Spinach and feta is a classic combination and works very well in this tart, complemented with nutmeg, lemon and parsley. The guanciale is wonderful too, but can be omitted to make it vegetarian. Serve the tart with a punchy salad of bitter greens lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
PASTRY:
300g plain flour
sea salt
250g chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 - 3 tbsp iced water
FILLING:
125g guanciale, sliced into lardons
5 eggs
500ml Schulz Organic Dairy Pure Cream
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
zest of a lemon
150g Schulz Organic Dairy Feta
200g English spinach, roughly chopped
small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper
METHOD
For the pastry tip the flour onto a clean work surface and sprinkle with the salt. Add the butter and toss through the flour. Using a pastry scraper or a knife, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles very coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with iced water, a little at a time, bringing the dough together with your hands or a pastry scraper until you have a shaggy pastry. Shape into a flat circle, cover with a barely damp cloth or cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and, on a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out to a circle around 3mm thick. Drape the pastry into a deep loose-bottom round fluted 25cm tin. Press the pastry into the edges and trim off most, but not all, of the overhanging pastry. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking weights. Blind bake the tart shell for 10 minutes or until just beginning to colour. Remove the paper and weights and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Reduce oven to 160C.
Meanwhile, heat a small pan over a medium heat and fry the the guanciale until just beginning to crisp (3-4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk the eggs, cream, nutmeg and lemon zest until well combined. Crumble in 1/2 of the feta and stir through the roughly chopped spinach and parsley. Add in the cooked guanciale and season to taste.
Pour the filling into the tart shell and crumble over the remaining feta. Bake in the preheated oven for around 30-40 minutes or until the tart is golden in colour with a slight wobble in the centre. Trim off any overhanging pastry with a sharp knife if desired. Allow the tart to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.