For my first few years as a vegetarian, I was very happy eating all the side dishes at the big holidays. A girl can do pretty well with mashed potatoes, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, and green beans. And of course, dessert is always vegetarian.
But one year, Gabe and I were watching a cooking show with Biba Caggiano, one of our favorite chefs who I have written about before here and here, and we watched her make a beautiful vegetable tart. Gabe scribbled furiously to try to get the basics down. I'm not sure that we got it all right, but the version we came up with is delicious. We made it for Christmas that year, and it has been our main course every year since. Even some of the meat eaters have confessed that they love it more than the turkey.
The tart is layers of roasted red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, and Fontina cheese. The dough has a bit of wine in it, and the entire combination is fantastic.
One word about the process. I have always laboriously brushed or wiped my mushrooms so that they don't absorb any water. But, lately, I've been reading that if you rinse them quickly they don't take in much water at all. Apparently food scientist Harold McGhee tested how much water is absorbed into mushrooms when you wash them, and it was only a tiny bit. If it's good enough for McGhee and the man who knows How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman, I thought it was worth giving it a shot. I did dry them with a paper towel quickly after washing them, though. Old habits are hard to break.
I'm looking forward to tucking into a piece of this on Christmas. I still haven't decided what else to make. So, tell me, what dishes are part of your family's holiday traditions?
Torta Rustica a la Biba
I have made this tart in advance and frozen it. It is not quite as good as it is fresh, but it's still mighty tasty.
for the dough:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 10 or so pieces
1/2 cup white wine
1 egg, lightly beaten
for the filling:
4 medium red peppers or 1 16-ounce jar of roasted red peppers
2 pounds fresh spinach, washed thoroughly and large stems removed
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan
2 talespoons unsalted butter
1 pound crimini mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 pound Fontina cheese, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
First, make the dough. Whisk together the flour and salt. Work the butter in with your fingers until it ranges in size between large grains of sand and small pebbles. Add the white wine and egg and mix until it forms a dough. If you need more liquid, add a splash more wine to get it to hold together. Roll the dough into a ball and cut it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten the balls into discs and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
While the dough is chilling, make the filling. I have found that using pre-roasted peppers saves a lot of time and the dish still tastes fabulous. If you want to roast the peppers yourself, put them on a baking sheet and roast them in the broiler until they are blackened. Let them cool to room temperature and slip off the skins. Cut them open and remove the seeds. Whether you roast your own peppers or buy them pre-roasted, cut them into long, thin strips. Set aside.
Make sure to wash the spinach thoroughly so you don't get any bits of grit in the torta. While the spinach is still wet, put it in a large pot and cover it. Over medium heat, cook it until it wilts completely, about 7 minutes. Remove it from the pot and drain it in a colander. When the spinach is cool enough to touch, squeeze out as much water as you can and roughly chop it. Put it in a medium-sized bowl and mix in the cream and parmesan. Add salt pepper and taste. Add more if necessary. Set aside.
Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook it for a minute or so, just until it turns golden. Add the mushrooms and cook them until the water is gone and they are lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
When the dough has chilled, roll out the larger piece on a piece of plastic wrap. Drape the dough over a rolling pin and slide it into a 9-inch pie plate. Layer the filling on top of the dough in the following order: first the mushrooms, then the spinach mixture, then the red peppers and, finally, the grated Fontina. Roll out the smaller piece of dough and cover the pie with it. Trim the edges, leaving enough dough so that the top piece can fold under the bottom one. Crimp the edges of the crust and cut a few small slits in the top. Brush the top crust with the egg. If you would like to make a decorative topping, re-roll the scraps and use a cookie cutter to cut out the shape of your choice. Add it to the top of the torta and brush it with egg.
Bake the torta until it is beautifully browned, 45 to 55 minutes. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving.
yum. that looks great! some of my favorite sides are this carrot and parsnip whipped concoction (very yummy and so easy). this year, i'm going to be trying a corn pudding (but i'm worried it will be a little bland so if you have a great recipe i'd love it) as well as a spicy sweet potato thing and brussel sprouts with balsamic vinaigrette per smitten kitchen(but with pancetta). have a great xmas!!! l.
Posted by: laura | December 21, 2009 at 06:01 PM
OK, having now eaten this for last night's dinner and today's lunch, I can personally attest that it's delicious!
Thanks Margy and Gabe, you're the best. Andrew.
Posted by: Andrew Schulman | December 22, 2009 at 12:32 PM
My family is from the south and we love side dishes. One of our favorites, that admittedly, we eat at different times of the year is squash casserole. Also, my husbands family is from the Carribean and the side starch that is ever so popular, and that I love and have learned to make like my mother in law, is rice and peas with coconut milk. Thank you for sharring all of these delicious meals.
Posted by: Nellie | January 31, 2010 at 08:44 AM