We had the first light snow flurries yesterday morning. Immediately our preschooler began scheming up all the activities he was going to do in the snow. Much to his chagrin there was not enough snowfall for his plans, yet.
The holidays bring out the child in me. In much the same way, I get giddy for the cookie baking, putting up the Christmas tree and decorating. I would be the person putting up a tree around Halloween if I didn’t have family with strict after Thanksgiving practices for such decorating.
The great news…this is Thanksgiving week so almost Christmas decorating time! That also means most of us are in the midst of harvest celebration meals. Today’s dish makes a nice light entree or great side for your harvest table.
The recipe for this asparagus tart has my wheat olive oil crust. Its a fairly simple crust recipe that is rustic and hardy. You could always use your own favorite pie crust or puff pastry recipe. Also, no shame in saving time with a store bought crust either.
The savory of Italian spices and the subtle sweet of lemon zest create a seasoned ricotta bed for the asparagus spears. I tried topping the tart with fresh shredded Parmesan and it was the right thing to do. Hope you get to try this tart soon. We’d love to see pictures so be sure to tag Mama Sparrow on your social media posting.
Serves about 1/4 of the tart
Yields 4-5 servings
10 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 olive oil pie crust* (recipe in notes)
- 14-18 stalks of asparagus
- 1 ½ Tb olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, extra for topping
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- If making dough from scratch, make this first. It will need to chill 30 minutes before rolling out.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare the asparagus by breaking off the tough ends. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Stir in the lemon zest, seasonings and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil garlic mix.
- Roll or press out the dough to a rectangle of 11 x 5 inches. Pinch the side up to form crust sides.
- Evenly spread the ricotta mix into the rolled out crust. Top the ricotta mix with the asparagus stalks. Optional: sprinkle a bit of shredded parmesan cheese over top the tart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Allow tart to cool 3-5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
*Olive Oil Crust
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup wheat flour
½ tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup milk
Mix together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Put the olive oil and milk in a measuring pitcher; do not mix. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid contents from the pitcher into your mixing bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together until a ball of dough forms. The dough should be stick together well. If too dry, slowly add in more milk - 1 Tb at a time. If dough is shaggy, knead in more flour - 1 tsp at a time.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
