Sausage and Kale Tart

I put this recipe on the menu this week thinking we would get kale from LPO. Since we got chard, I made this dish with chard. I had some sausage that I bought from LPO a while back. Be aware that the filling in this dish is loose- so you'll need a strong tart shell to handle it. I cut back on the butter in the shell. Next time I would consider putting some parmesan in the crust. The recipe was a winner in the 'best dirt cheap dinner' contest on food52.com.

the Tart Shell

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 pinch salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Cut the butter into small cubes. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor.   Pulse until butter is pea-sized. Slowly drizzle water through the top of the food processor while pulsing. You have added enough water when dough sticks together when pressed.  Remove dough from processor and press gently into a disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.   Place disc on a lightly floured board.  Roll dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough in 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Dock dough with a fork.  Lay parchment paper or foil over dough and fill with beans or pie weights.
Blind bake the tart shell (with pie weights) for 20 minutes. Then remove parchment and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
Remove from oven and set aside on cooling rack.

the Sausage and Kale Filling

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 bunch kale (a large bunch)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips
1 egg
1/4 cup ricotta
salt and pepper

Heat oil and butter in pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft and light brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onions from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to medium and add sausage to pan. Brown sausage and break into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of oil from pan.

Add kale to pan. Pour white wine over kale. Scrap any bits from the pan and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If kale is still very wet, cook uncovered for a minute or two. The overall mixture should be fairly dry. Remove kale to a large bowl.

Toss cooked kale with cooked sausage and onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Toss mixture with basil, egg, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sausage and kale mixture into cooked tart shell. Be sure to evenly cover the bottom of the tart shell. Bake the tart on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove tart from oven when the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely brown. Cool tart slightly on a wire rack. Slice and serve with a big green salad.

 **I think this was a nice dish. It was definitely hearty. The basil mixed nicely with the Italian sausage spices.