Ground Beef & Porcini Mushroom Tart


We finally decided to eat puff pastry I'll have to check my sugar level tomorrow!! A ground beef and porcini mushroom tart sounded like a fantastic idea. Here how to make one:
Serves 8:
Ingredients:
-  800 gr ground beef.
-  25 gr dry porcini mushrooms, washed, soaked in hot water just enough to cover.
-  1 piece of puff pastry 30 x 40 cm.
-  1 medium onion chopped.
-  1 thick leek only the white part roughly sliced.
-  3 scallions including green part sliced.
-  1 cup frozen peas.
-  1 Tbsp. cinnamon.
-  1/8 tsp. ground cloves.
-  1 tsp. mace.
-  1 tsp. nutmeg.
-  ½ bunch of dill finely chopped.
-  Enough olive oil to cover pan bottom.
-  No salt no pepper.
-  1 Tbsp. soy sauce at the end.
-  1 Tbsp. rice vinegar at the end.
-  ¼ cup white wine.
-  ½ cup boiling water.
-  2 eggs whole.
-  1/3 cup flaked almonds.

Method:
-  Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C, baking grill on setting closest to the bottom ( to make sure the tart is cooked on the bottom).
-  Using a large pan or wok heat oil add onion, leek, scallions, frozen peas and saute the lot till peas are thawed and soft.
-  Add ground beef and brown well.
-  Add porcini and liquid.
-  Add  the cinnamon, ground cloves, mace, nutmeg and mix well.
-  Add wine, continue to brown till all the alcohol has evaporated.
-  Add the water, boil, cover, turn heat to minimum and simmer for 20 minutes.


-  In the meantime prepare your 24 cm tart mold by laying the puff pastry on a large piece of baking proof paper, this will help you to transport the pastry.
-  Using the palm of your hand fit the paper and pastry to cover bottom and sides of the mold. (The paper will be between the mold and the puff pastry: this will help you slide the tart off the detachable and on to your plate.
-  Cut the excess paper/pastry.
-  Use the rest of the pastry to cover the tart. It is not enough to cover it  but that's alright (otherwise you will have to use 2 pieces of pastry to cover which doubles the quantity of pastry: something we don't want to do). Why? because it is too much pastry to eat!!
-  When the 20 minutes are up for the ground beef (the filling of the tart), turn fire off, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, dill and mix, let cool.
-  When cool, add the two eggs and mix well.  This will bind the whole lot together.

Note: Please note that at this point you could add any kind of grated cheese if you wish, but we are trying to make it light with as few calories possible. 



-  Fill tart and sprinkle some flaked almonds on the surface for extra flavor.
-  Place the extra pastry on top and bake for 1 hour at 200 degrees C.
-  When time is up take out from oven, and let cool.
-  Cut in eight wedges.

Serve with a thinly sliced cabbage salad, and boiled slices of carrots and parsnips.
Bon Appétit,
Stelio

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