Thistle and purslane tart with hazelnut anchovy sauce
With the vegetables harvested last season from the garden, today I decided to prepare a delicious savory tart using thistles and purslane. I preserved the harvest for the winter and decided to enrich the flavor with the addition of toasted hazelnuts and a tasty anchovy sauce. My anchovies, in particular, come from Sicily and have been preserved under salt, but where do the anchovies we use come from?
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Tarts
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
I had both the thistles and the purslane in the freezer, harvested from the previous season…
- 10.5 oz thistles, cooked, boiled
- 7 oz purslane
- 3.5 oz breadcrumbs
- 3.5 Grana Padano cheese, grated (Or another cheese of your choice)
- 3 eggs
- 1 pinch black pepper
- to taste salt
- 6 anchovies in salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- Half cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons hazelnuts, chopped (toasted)
Steps
In a few steps…
Thoroughly squeeze the thistles and blend them. Transfer to a large bowl; I find this one in the photo very suitable as I don’t have to worry about “losing pieces” while mixing due to its capacity, so I always use the same
Add the breadcrumbs, the unchopped purslane, and the eggs
Finally, the cheese, salt, and pepper.
Mix everything well
and pour into silicone baking cups or whatever you prefer; in the small oven bake 12 at a time, as in the large oven; a great savings!
Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the anchovy sauce, which is similar to bagna cauda, clean the anchovies, peel the garlic cloves and dissolve in olive oil, blend to obtain a smooth sauce
Take out the tarts; if you use them immediately fine, otherwise close them in a container to prevent them from drying out until use. Appetizer to be served hot; even cold with warmer temperatures is delicious
When consuming them, pour a tablespoon of sauce and the chopped hazelnuts
They can be stored in the refrigerator for two/three days. They can be frozen if consumed within six months. Alternatively, the anchovy sauce can be replaced with a cheese one… But it’s not the same dish!
