Quote from the Kitchen

"No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize."
—Julia Child, in Fitch, Appetite for Life, p. 142

Vegetable Tartlets (or Veggie Tart)

My kitchen partner and I made this a few weeks ago, and it was absolutely delicious! Make sure you allow 45 minutes to an hour to prepare the veggies and make the filling. (absolutely worth every minute) If you find yourself pressed for time and can't make the crust (or perhaps, you are crust challenged), the veggie filling would also taste great served with noodles or rice.

Chef's Note: We did not have mini tart pans so we substituted with one pan instead.

Serves 6
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup ice water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 Italian eggplant, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, quartered
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped kale (8 ounces)
2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 1 pint)
1/3 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
6 tablespoons nonfat ricotta cheese

Directions:
Make the crust: Pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream; process just until dough holds together. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out six 9-inch rounds, gathering scraps and rerolling dough. Fit into 4 1/2-inch springform tart pans, and cut dough flush with tops. Place on a baking sheet, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Make the filling: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers, and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, eggplant, and onion; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add wine and salt; season with pepper. Cook, stirring, until liquid has evaporated. Add kale, and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes, basil, and red-pepper flakes.

Spoon 1 1/4 cups vegetable mixture into each tart shell. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes. Top each tart with 1 tablespoon ricotta, and serve.

Recipe from Martha Stewart.