CHEESE AND CHARD TART

Preparation 40 minutes, plus chilling Cooking 50 minutes Serves 8-10 This tart makes the most of the chard’s mineral notes with toasted almonds, lemon zest, capers and plenty of pecorino cheese. It’s lovely served warm with buttery potatoes, and also works well cold with a crisp salad.

FOR THE PASTRY 300g white spelt flour 2 tbsp golden caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 4 tbsp olive oil 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 3-4 tbsp milk FOR THE FILLING 50g blanched almonds zest of 1 lemon a good grating of fresh nutmeg 75g pecorino, finely grated 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained 2 large eggs 2 tbsp crème fraîche 600g rainbow chard (2 large bunches) 280g jar charred artichoke hearts (halved) in oil, drained 1 tbsp milk, to glaze

Pulse the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt together in a food processor to mix. Add the oil, eggs and milk (starting with 3 tbsp and only adding the rest if needed) and pulse again to form a dough. Divide it into two discs and wrap each in clingfilm. Chill for at least an hour or overnight. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Toast the almonds in a frying pan for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Cool and roughly chop. Put in a large bowl with the lemon zest, nutmeg, pecorino, capers, eggs and crème fraîche. Mix well and set aside. Remove the chard leaves from the stalks and slice the stalks into 1cm pieces. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the stalks and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the chard leaves and simmer for about 8 more minutes, until soft. Refresh under cold water in a colander and drain thoroughly, squeezing the water out tightly with your hands. Wrap in a clean tea towel and wring out firmly to extract every last drop of moisture. Chop the chard leaves and stalks and stir into the almond mixture. Roll out both rounds of dough on a lightly floured surface, until both are slightly larger than a 23cm tart tin with a removable base. Use one round to line the tin, leaving the edges overhanging. Spoon the chard filling in and arrange the artichoke hearts on top in concentric circles. Cover with the second round of pastry and press firmly around the edges to seal. Trim the overhang with a knife and brush with the milk. Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.