Mushroom, Kale, Leek & Gruyere Tart with Pumpkin & Pomegranate Seeds
Tarts will forever be one of my favourite dishes to create and devour! Not only do they make a perfect lunch, dinner, snack, but they are also such a brilliant way to incorporate a variety of different plant foods, helping you hit that target of 30 different plant foods each week. The process can be a bit lengthy, so I’d recommend breaking it up by making the pastry the day before (or at least a few hours before).
Ingredients
Pastry:
(1 23cm tart tin)
125g plain flour
125g wholemeal spelt flour
1 tsp sea salt
pinch pepper
1 tsp chives, finely sliced
140g butter, cold from fridge
4 tbsp ice-cold water
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Filling:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 leek, finely sliced
400g mushrooms (any type), roughly sliced
200g kale leaves, roughly torn and stalk removed
small handful chives, sliced
3 eggs
300ml almond, oat or cow’s milk
125g gruyère cheese, grated
salt and pepper
sprinkle pumpkin seeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C fan.
- Start by making the pastry, ideally the night or a few hours before if you have time. Add the flours, salt, pepper, and chives to a food processor and pulse until combined.
- Add the cold butter & pulse to form a rough breadcrumb consistency. Gradually add the ice-cold water, egg yolks & wholegrain mustard, pulsing until it forms a large dough ball.
- Shape into a thick disk, wrap in cling film & chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, roll it between two sheets of baking paper into a circle about an inch bigger than the tart tin base. Keep a small amount of dough spare in case you need to fill in any gaps.
- Carefully lay the pastry over the tin, press into edges & prick the base with a fork. Move to the fridge for another 10 minutes.
- Cover with baking paper, fill with baking beans & blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper, brush the base with beaten egg & bake for another 10 minutes.
- The filling can be started whilst waiting for the pastry to chill/bake. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat, then sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and leek and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Next add the kale and mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the mushroom begin to soften. Don’t add salt at this stage as we don’t want the mushrooms to lose their water.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and most of the grated gruyere (leaving a little to sprinkle over the top).
- Stir through the onion mixture then pour filling into the tart base. Top with remaining gruyere and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, stand for 10 minutes before serving. This can also be cooked ahead of time and heated up later.
- Sprinkle over some pomegranate seeds for a splash of colour and serve with a rocket salad or spring greens.
