What’s a vegetarian to do when the cold forecast and a skeletal greenmarket conspire to drive her into the arms of Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese or the red-wine braised short ribs of yesteryear? Well, a few years into my whole “weekday vegetarian” thing, I discovered that a good starting point for addressing this problem is the humble mushroom. As far as I can tell, the whole lot of them — from grocery store buttons to speciality market maitakes — seem to be the only thing in the vegetable kingdom that can approximate the same kind of meaty umami I crave when the mercury dips, especially when they are cooked down to a concentrated crisp.
To be filed under “I’ve Never Meet a Tart I Didn’t Love,” here is this Mushroom-and-Chives take, a winter cousin of spring’s Asparagus Tart, and just as straightforwardly stunning. Serve it with a salad, and you’ve got yourself a go-to comfort food menu for winter.
Mushroom Tart with Chives
by Jenny Rosenstrach
Note: Be sure to leave a few hours for your puff pastry to thaw.
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as necessary
20 ounces mixed mushrooms (I used baby Bellas, shiitake, and oyster here), finely chopped
kosher salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 clove, garlic
1 14-ounce frozen puff pastry (such as Dufour brand), thawed
1 egg, whisked
1/2 cup ricotta or crème fraîche
2 tablespoons chives
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Add olive oil, mushrooms, salt, and pepper, to a large skillet set over medium heat and cook until mushrooms have lost a significant amount of moisture. (It’s okay if they seem piled up too high in the pan, they will shrink as they cook.) Push the mushrooms to the perimeter of the pan, then add onion and garlic, plus more oil if it looks dry, and cook another 3 minutes, stirring often so the garlic doesn’t burn.
While the mushrooms are cooking down, roll out the puff pastry on a flour-dusted surface and transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, lightly draw/score a rectangle in the middle of the pastry (without slicing through), leaving a one-inch border. (This will help the sides puff up when baking.) Using your fingers or a pastry brush, brush the perimeter of the puff pastry with the whisked egg. In a small mixing bowl, combine the crème fraîche (or ricotta), chives, any remaining egg, salt, and pepper, and, using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture in the drawn rectangle. (It’s okay if you go outside the lines a little!)
Scoop the mushroom-onion mixture on top, evenly dividing everything, then top with Parm. Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden and puffy and the mushrooms look shriveled. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Thank you, Jenny! Follow her newsletter here, if you’d like.
P.S. A squash ricotta tart, three no-fuss recipes for winter, and a pantry pasta for busy weeknights.
