Chard, leek and walnut crostata

Photos by Ana Cuba

Recipes by Anna Jones from The Modern Cook’s Year courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 2 leeks, outer leaves removed, washed and finally shredded
• 200g chard
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• A large mixed bunch of soft herbs, leaves picked
• 25g Parmesan
• 3 medium organic eggs

FOR THE PASTRY:

• 50g walnuts
• 200g white spelt flour
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 100g very cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons ice-cold water

DIRECTIONS:

1. For the pastry, put the walnuts into a food processor and blitz until you have fine, uniform crumbs.
2. Add the flour and salt. Pulse a few times to mix everything evenly.
3. Add the butter and pulse a few times until you have a rough looking dough.
4. With the motor running, add a tablespoon of the ice-cold water and pulse again for four turns of the blade.
5. Take the lid off and pinch the dough with your fingers.
6. Add a little more water if it feels dry and keep blitzing until the dough comes together in a ball; it should be a buttery pastry and not feel crumbly.
7. Wrap the dough in cling film or greaseproof paper and put it into the fridge.
8. Warm a frying pan over a medium heat, pour in a drizzle of olive oil and add the leeks and a pinch of salt.
9. Fry for 5-7 minutes, until the leeks are soft and sweet.
10. Wash the chard and strip the leaves from their stalks.
11. Slice the stalks into 2cm lengths, then roll up the leaves and slice across the middle into 1cm-wide ribbons.
12. For the leeks, add the garlic, dried chilli and fennel seeds and fry in the pan for a few minutes to toast the spices.
13. When the pan is smelling aromatic, add the chard stalks and stir.
14. Cook for 5 minutes until the stalks lose their rawness, then stir in the leaves and add the vinegar.
15. Cook until the leaves have wilted, for about 4 minutes.