Sausage and Kale Dinner Tart (from the Food 52 cookbook)

Serves 6


For tart shell

8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes


pinch of salt

3-4 tablespoons ice water

for filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cups minced onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 large bunch dinosaur (or cavolo nero) kale, stemmed and roughly cut

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, slivered

1 large egg

1/4 cup ricotta or other fresh cheese, such as feta or goat cheese


for the tart shell:

Combine the butter, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the butter is pea-sized. While pulsing, slowly drizzle the ice water through the top feed tube into the food processor; you have added enough water when the dough sticks together when pressed.

Remove the dough and shape gently into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and place on a lightly floured board. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Press it gently into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Lay a piece of parchment paper or foil over the dough and fill it with beans or pie weights. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the tart shell for 20 minutes. Then remove the parchment and weights and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the crust no longer looks wet and has begun to brown. Set the tart shell on a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. Leave the oven on.

For the filling:

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the onions and garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the onions are soft and light brown, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.

Increase the heat to medium and add the sausage. Brown it well, breaking it up into small pieces, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and put it in the bowl with the onions. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

Add the kale to the pan. Pour the wine over the kale, scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan, and cover it. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the kale is wilted. If the kale is still very wet, cook it uncovered for another minute or two until it's quite dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the kale to the onions and sausage. Toss everything together and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the basil, egg and ricotta to the kale mixture and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the cooked tart shell, making sure to cover the bottom evenly.

Put the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely browned. Cool the tart for a few minutes on a wire rack. Then slice and serve.