Sorrel and Onion Tart

Photo by Sergio Salvador  www.salvadorphoto.com

Sorrel is one of the earliest spring greens, with a wonderful lemony flavor. It's hard to find in grocery stores, but I saw some at the Santa Fe farmers' market last week. The two sorrel plants I grew last year survived the winter and began to sprout again in March, so now they're getting big enough to harvest. I also bought a gorgeous little start of the red-veined type from Jeffrey and Elaine of Hand to Mouth Foods at the Corrales winter market. They sell all kinds of unusual vegetable and herb starts from their greenhouse, as well as fantastic baked goods and soups. The Corrales market just opened up for the regular season (every Sunday until October), so if you're getting ready to start up your garden, check them out! 

This tasty tart, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, is even prettier with red-veined sorrel, but if you can't find it just use spinach and maybe add a bit of lemon juice. And it's even easier to make if you cook the onions in a crockpot on low all day beforehand. Just fill the crockpot with onions and add a little olive oil, then when you come home they will be almost done - you can finish them on the stove, or turn the crockpot up to high for a while longer, stirring a few times so they don't scorch.

2 T. butter

2 large onions, thinly sliced

3 T. dry white wine

¾ lb. fresh sorrel or spinach, washed and dried

1/2 t. coarse salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg

2 T. heavy cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a wide skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add white wine and cook until most of liquid is gone and onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Roughly chop the sorrel leaves, removing the stems if they are tough. Add sorrel to onions, and cook just until the leaves wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper, remove from heat, and let cool.

On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 9x11-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Fold edges over by ½ inch to create a border. Inside the border, prick the dough all over with a fork. In a small bowl, combine the egg and cream. Brush this glaze onto the borders.

Add the remaining egg and cream to the onion mixture and spread over the pastry. Bake until the filling is heated through and the pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cut tart into 2-inch squares and serve warm as an appetizer, or cut into larger squares and serve with salad for a light meal. Serves 4.