Spinach & Cottage Cheese Tart

A tart is basically a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard.

Here I have used very basic ingredient to make the pastry filling. The whole process maybe little lengthy but totally worth the effort. Spinach and cottage cheese together works best as far as the flavours go.

Ingredients:
For the pastry-

2 cups (250gms) All purpose flour/ Maida
100gms chilled butter
50 ml chilled water
1 egg
Salt to taste

For the filling:

2 cups spinach/ palak
1/2 cup homemade cottage cheese/ paneer
1 big red onions finely chopped
1/2 cup cheese
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg- a pinch

Method:

Boil the spinach in 1 cup water.

After that drain as much liquid as you can and chop finely. Chop the cottage cheese as well and mix.

Preparing the pastry:

Mix flour, butter & salt until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the egg. Use water to bring the pastry together. Be careful not to overknead it. Wrap it in a cling film and let it rest for at least 30 min in fridge.

Now roll the pastry about 1/2 inch thicknesses between two sheets of cling film.

Line the pastry in the tin and let it rest for 30 min in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Now blind bake the pastry for 20 min.

After 20 min it should be light brown in the edges.

Preparing the filling:

Saute onions in 1 tsp oil.

Add in the spinach & cottage cheese mixture. Mix well.

Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let it cool.

Now add eggs, cheese and mix.

Now fill the pastry with the mix and bake to 12-15 min or until done.

Let it rest for 20 min in the tin. Un-mould after that and cut.

Enjoy.

Ps
All the ingredients for pastry should be chilled.

Adding cheese brings out the oomph in this dish. You can choose any kind as  parmesan or cheddar. Even pizza cheese works just fine.