Spring’s getting off to a very late start where I live this year. It snowed a decent amount just a few weeks ago, pushing all the produce you’d typically see by early April behind schedule. My beloved rhubarb is nowhere in sight, even on import from England or the Netherlands. At market this weekend, however, I was able to find a few beautiful green signs of the season, including scallions and baby swiss chard. This tart is a play on different textures, but a host of savory flavors. I served it alongside a coq au vin blanc and a salad full of watermelon radish, blood orange and grapefruit, watercress, butter lettuce, pistachios, shaved fennel, and goat cheese.

Scallion, swiss chard, and ricotta tart

Serves 7-8 as a starter, or 4 as a main

For the crust:

2 cups whole grain spelt flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

For the filling:

Two bunches (roughly 4-5 cups) of baby swiss chard, rinsed and dried thoroughly, chopped roughly. You could also use baby arugula, kale, whatever’s available or you like best

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. olive oil

Juice and zest of one small lemon

6 eggs

1/2 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

1 bunch scallions, trimmed of their bulbs and tops to fit an 8″ x 11″ tart pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. First, braise the chard: Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a sauté pan. Finely mince the garlic and add it to the oil, swirling it to infuse the flavor. Let the garlic toast to a light golden brown, and then add the chard, cooking until the chard is fully wilted, about 7 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over, season with a little salt and pepper, stir to combine, and remove from the heat. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, the lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper and whisk thoroughly until very smooth. Set aside.

Next, make the crust: in a large bowl, stir together the flour, remaining 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and dried thyme. Stir in the olive oil, followed by the water until a dough comes together. You may need a little more water, but you are not after a sticky dough here. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently. Roll out to fit a 8″ x 11″ rectangular tart pan (as I used; you could just as easily use a round tart pan, but you’ll have extra dough leftover). Trim the edges to fit. Spread the chard mixture on the bottom of the tart, and pour the ricotta-egg mixture atop. Swirl together ever so slightly so the greens peek through. Lay the scallions vertically across the top, and bake for roughly 30 minutes, or until the filling is puffed and golden and the scallions are soft and slightly browned. Serve hot, warm, or at room-temperature. This one’s versatile!