This polenta tart with green garlic and spinach has a gluten-free polenta crust. It’s filled with a light ricotta cheese, egg and spinach custard. The season for green garlic coincides with chives, so if you have them, sprinkle the baked tart with purple chive blossoms.
This polenta tart recipe uses my microwave polenta technique. The “crust” is gluten-free and lower in calories than a butter tart crust. And polenta perfectly complements the filling in an Italian sort of way.
Unless you are more adverse to the nuclear machines than I, or your kitchen is not so equipped, you will enjoy the ease of polenta cooking in a microwave oven.
One of the surprises in our farm share box this week is green garlic. I wonder if John planted a row of garlic specifically for a green garlic harvest or if he is thinning the crop to allow more space for bulb development of what’s left in the rows.
Green garlic looks a lot like green onions or scallions, and can be prepared in pretty much the same way.
Wash green garlic well, as you would leeks, for dirty soil can hide in the stalks. Trim green garlic as dictated by its relative youth, or how close it was to becoming fully formed garlic. If the green part is very tender, chop the entire stalk, otherwise trim away some of the green as you might for scallions.
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Polenta Tart with Green Garlic and Spinach
Ingredients
For the polenta:
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup polenta grits
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
For the filling:
- 1 bunch fresh spinach , about 8 ounces, well washed, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- ½ cup up to 1 cup chopped green garlic
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons fresh chive petals
- Tomato sauce , optional
Instructions
Make the polenta:
- Whisk the vegetable broth, water, olive oil, salt, and polenta and in a microwave-proof bowl. Cover and cook on highest power for five minutes. Stir well, cover again and cook for another five minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, cover and cook for two more minutes.
- Allow the polenta to cool a minute or so, then dollop into the lightly oiled pan of choice. While the polenta is still soft and warm, spread it around the bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers, wetting them if needed. Distribute the polenta as evenly as possible, but it can look rustic, since this is a rustic tart.
Make the filling and bake the tart:
- Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet and sauté the green garlic until it is limp. Stir in the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has completely wilted. Sprinkle with a dash of balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Beat the egg and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the cooked garlic and spinach, thyme and chives, reserving the purple thyme blossom for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture into the polenta crust.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until there are hints of golden brown in the crust and the ricotta filling. Sprinkle with the purple chive flowers and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
- Serve on plates with tomato sauce, if desired.
