Artichoke and radish tart

I feel like I have been saying this a lot recently – or maybe, it’s just been a particularly good cooking month – but this is another one of my new favorite things that I will keep making again over the summer.

That said, blogging from the road has its challenges! I just lost the entire ingredient list for this dish somewhere in the non-recoverable parts of mobile WP, but I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you.

Satisfying but light, this artichoke and radish tart makes a perfect summer meal.

You’ll need:

– 1 sheet shortcrust pie pastry
– 2 globe artichokes or 4 baby artichokes
– 1 bunch (about 1 cup) French breakfast radishes
– 1 cup ricotta cheese
– 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
– 3 shallots, sliced thinly
– 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
– 3 T rice vinegar
– 1/2 t fresh thyme
– pinch of nutmeg
– olive oil
– vegetable oil
– salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil.

2. Clean and trim artichokes (never too much fun, but a good trick is to use kitchen shears), cut in half. Add to boiling water, add vinegar, and simmer for 5-6 minutes until just tender. Drain, rinse in cold water, sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice or more rice vinegar and set aside. Once they have cooled slightly, cut artichokes into quarters (if using globe artichokes).

3. In the meantime, sauté the shallots and garlic in vegetable oil until lightly golden. Add artichokes to pan and reduce heat. Cut radishes in half and add to pan as well. Season with salt and pepper, a bit of olive oil. Toss, and cook for 4-5 minutes.

4. Drape rolled out pastry in a round springform pan, leaving a two inch border up the sides.

5. Mix ricotta with a tsp of olive oil, nutmeg, a bit of pepper, and half of the pine nuts. Spread cheese evenly on the bottom of the pie crust.

6. Arrange vegetables on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with remaining pine nuts and a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and thyme. Crimp crust lightly along the edges of the springform.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust is just browning lightly.