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For Paola


Paola is just the type of girl you’d want to whip up a homemade spinach tart for.  She has a quiet and elegant gusto for life and a great sense of humor.  So when she comes for dinner, you just feel inspired to attempt an impressionable savory tart you once fell in love with in Florence.  


A couple of years ago, Mr. Urban and I traveled to Florence.  We stayed at a hilltop Tuscan Villa, a bed and breakfast run by the lovely and hospitable Livia and Lorenzo.  If we travel a hundred more times to Florence, that is where we’ll stay again and again. 

One night Mr. Urban fell sick with the flu, and Livia and Lorenzo offered to make us dinner since we had to stay at the Villa.   The three course meal started with a light Italian chicken soup, followed by a lovely salad with a lemon vinaigrette on the side of the most delicious spinach tart ever made, and then dessert.  I could not believe my mouth when I tasted the tart, and told Mr. Urban that I will have to ask for the recipe. 

 A sick Mr. Urban atop Tuscan hills (poised as ever)

But my always considerate husband thought it may be a huge imposition on our hosts and asked me to PLEASE not ask them for the recipe.  Since he was nursing the worst flu ever, a souvenir he had picked up when we were sardined at the crowded Vatican museum the day before, I agreed not to ask.  But I have lived to regret it everyday since (and of course so has he)!

So to make a long story short, I made the tart for Paola based on my memory of that lovely meal.  She liked it and asked me for its recipe.  I thought to put it here, in case you are also looking for a quick and easy, sexy and light, summer afternoon tart, to enjoy on the side of a butter lettuce salad with a lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice + good olive oil + salt and pepper) and a glass of your favorite wine.

Florence Spinach Tart

1 Box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and water fully drained
2 Organic fresh eggs
1 Cup sour cream (I used light, but feel free to use whatever kind you like)
1 Cup ricotta cheese (I used light, but again, feel free to use whatever kind you like)
2 Cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of swiss and gruyere, but you can also use the    shredded 4 Italian cheese mix from Safeway or what ever else you fancy… this recipe is very easy going)
1/4 of Tsp fresh thyme
1 Beautiful sprig of fresh thyme for decoration
1 Tsp unbleached flour
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Fresh nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. 

Put the spinach, eggs, sour cream, ricotta, shredded cheese, and the fresh thyme, in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon.  Add the flour, salt and pepper to taste and grate the fresh nutmeg a few times on the lemon zester and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.

Pour the mixture into the pan.  Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to cover the entire top of the tart.  Place the sprig of thyme on the centre of the tart, slightly push it in.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the sides are bubbling and the top looks golden.  Let the tart cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Flip it on to a plate and then another plate so the parmesan side is on the top.

 Villa Poggio San Felice


Enjoy!
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