Asparagus Tart with Roasted Tomatoes and Aged Provolone

A tart can be comprised of just about anything you've got on hand and need not be a complicated affair. Leftover cooked potatoes, grilled portobello mushrooms, sautéed onions, corn cut off the cob, blanched green beans, steamed broccoli and even cooked greens make wonderful tart fillings.

If you can make Toll House cookie dough, you can make tart dough. This recipe doesn't require pre-baking either. You might make a double batch as it freezes quite well (up to one month wrapped tightly in plastic and foil). The recipe also calls for roasted tomatoes which take little effort to prepare but require three hours in the oven. The results, richly flavored sugary tomatoes, are well worth the small effort.

Tip: Read the recipe through start to finish. This isn't something you should start at 4:00 o'clock. Tarts for dinner are really very simple once you get into the tart making groove. But your first tart experience should be wonderful, so plan to cook this on a day you have time. Shop for the ingredients in advance and you'll need a tart pan.

Shortcut chef: Bake off the tomatoes a day ahead. Make a double batch of tart dough and keep it in the freezer. You can use sliced tomatoes but if you do, slice them very, very thin so they dry up in the oven. Tomatoes will release liquid into the tart, which won't be disastrous, but it will be different and a bit watery.

From mom's lips to your ears: Aged provolone is worth the trouble it takes to find it. You need to have a chunk of parmesan and a chunk of aged provolone around all the time. They don't have all the calories and fat of creamier cheeses and because they're so strong and dry a little goes a long way. And if you weren't paying attention at the beginning of the book, you need to have grated mozzarella in the freezer at all times too. Replace this stuff as you run out. You can't live without toilet paper, right? You don't run out of that very often. So don't run out of staples. And by the way if you don't have provolone, anything I just mentioned will do.

Tip: This is not a weight watcher meal but it's not too over the top either. Serve simple vegetable sides such as steamed green beans, carrots or peas. Keep the side dishes clean and have fruit for dessert instead of something heavier. Balance your calories.

If the Queen's coming for dinner: She'll positively never leave. Tarts are really very beautiful in fact, they're perfect for entertaining especially when you want to enjoy time with your guests. It's perfectly acceptable to serve tarts at room temperature. They're wonderful for lunch, brunch or dinner. I suppose if you cut very thin slices, you could even serve tart as an appetizer.

Guy-ometer: Silly girl food, but surprisingly good for something I thought I'd hate.

Yield: 10 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2	pounds roma tomatoes (about 8 tomatoes), cored, peeled, cut into quarters
1/2	cup whole basil leaves
3	cloves garlic, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, sprout removed
1	Tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/4	cups all purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon kosher salt
7	Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
4-5	Tablespoons ice water
8	oz. aged provolone, grated
1	pound asparagus, washed, ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces

	For the tomatoes: Preheat oven to 300°F. Place tomatoes, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish and bake three hours or until shriveled but not blackened or dried out.
	For the crust: Place basil, garlic and lemon zest in bowl of food processor, pulse until finely chopped. Add flour and salt, pulse until just combined. With the motor running, add the butter a few pieces at a time and mix until there are no lumps larger than small peas. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition. When the dough appears to be coming together to form a ball, remove from processor and mold into a ball by hand. Flatten the dough into a six inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate one hour.
	To assemble tart: Roll dough on lightly floured surface into 14" circle, press into 10" tart pan. Fold overhanging dough under to build an even rim and pinch or crimp as you would pie crust. Sprinkle tart bottom with half the cheese and then all the asparagus. Arrange tomato segments over asparagus and top with remaining cheese. Bake one hour or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Print-friendly view