Appetizers,  Breakfast / Brunch,  Gluten-free,  Vegetarian

Greenslove: Kale and Caramelized Onion Tart

This month’s Bloghop is Greenslove!  And I’m excited that I am finally able to display the linky tools pictures from everyone’s post!  Whoohoo!!  I feel like a big girl now!

Italians do eat alot of greens and I’m always buying some leafy green, such as kale, spinach, chard or collard.   What I’ve not tried is dandelion which is common for many Italians though as a child I had always thought to be strangely odd.  Any green will work well in this tart,  Kale has become one of my favorites to use.  It is, however, a chewier green.  The stem is very fibrous and should be removed.  The leaf of the curly kale has a pungent, almost bittery taste that does mellow when cooked.  For raw salads and for a sweeter and delicate taste, I prefer the Lacinato kale.  In this tart, I found a deep red kale, which was new to me.   A quick taste test at the market of both green and this red had the same taste.

The tart is crustless and I use garbanzo bean flour in the mix making this a gluten free tart; however, all-purpose or whole wheat can be substituted.  The choice of cheese can be substituted for your favorite as well.  It’s good warm from the oven or at room temperature cut into smaller appetizer squares.

As a Reminder….My Saucy Mama  Giveaway Contest continues this week for a sample of Saucy Mama Mustards!  If you’ve not already done so, please leave me a comment, follow me on Twitter and/or subscribe…..and please visit the Saucy Mama Cooking with Mustard Contest and vote for me!!

Kale and Caramelized Onion Tart

1/4 inch slice of pancetta, diced

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano or thyme

1/2 cup white wine, divided

1 bunch kale,stem removed and chopped bite size (about 6 cups) (pictured is a red kale)

1 -2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup garbonzo bean flour or all-purpose

1 cup fontina cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

3 eggs. beaten

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 cup milk

freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large skillet, saute pancetta until crisp, Remove pancetta to a large bowl leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.  Add in the onions, salt, pepper and dried oregano and cook on medium low heat until lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Add in 1/2 cup white wine and continue to cook until evaporated.  Remove onions from skillet to the large bowl with the pancetta. 

Add the kale and garlic to the skillet, adding olive oil if necessary.  Gently saute the kale until wilted, about 10 minutes.  Add in 1/2 cup white wine and continue to cook until evaporated.  Remove from skillet and add to large bowl with the onions and pancetta.  Add in the remaining ingredients; flour, cheese, eggs, dijon, milk and nutmeg stirring well to combine.

Pour into a 13 x 9 baking dish, smooth evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Cut into squares.  Makes about 6-8 large squares or 15 appetizer squares.

March is #greenslove month!
Please join in on the #greenslove fun by linking up any leafy green recipe from the month of March 2012.  Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #greenslove event! The twitter hashtag is #greenslove. 🙂
Cohosted by: Al Dente Gourmet, Astig Vegan, Badger Girl Learns to Cook, Baking and Cooking: A Tale of Two Loves, BigFatBaker, Bon a Croquer, CafeTerraBlog, Cake Duchess, Cheap Ethnic Eats, Easily Good Eats, Georgiecakes, Kitchen Belleicious, Mis Pensamientos, My Twisted Recipes, No One Likes Crumbley Cookies, Oh Cake, Queen’s Notebook, Rico Sin Azucar, Savoring Every Bite, Simply Reem, Soni’s Food for Thought, Sprint 2 the Table, Teaspoon of Spice, That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!, The Art of Cooking Real Food, The Spicy RD, The Wimpy Vegetarian, Vegan Yack Attack, Vegetarian Mamma.

I love being in the kitchen. Early mornings, soft music, a hot espresso. Easing into the preparation of delicious meals. Glancing through cookbooks, gathering inspiration and planning my day. I look forward to the cycles of the seasons, the pleasures of tasting and savoring and sharing this with those dear to me. Weekends are special to me as my week days are often rushed, but still I create the ambiance, light the candles, set the table and uncork the wine.

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