Hearty Leftover Leek Tart - (Recipe Included)

You know the feeling. You open the fridge and you go "ugh". A little bit of this, some of that and not a lot of what you actually wanted. In my case there were four sticks of leek, some already chopped onions and celery (leftovers from Thanksgiving), mushrooms & bacon that were close to their expiration date, a jar with sour cream. There was also some Parmesan and some Feta cheese volunteering to be used. Didn't really feel like making a gratin. Instead I opted for a leftover leek tart. Glad I did, it turned out to be "soul food," not only filling my tummy, but also - I spare you that rhyme, that's just too corny.

Dough
I took 3 cups of flour, a tablespoon of baking powder and a good pinch of salt. I added about 1/3 cup of milk, another 1/3 cup of sunflower oil and about half the jar (8oz) of sour cream and kneaded the whole mixture into a smooth, nice ball of dough. Play around, if the ball is to dry and flaky add some more milk and/or oil, maybe another spoon of sour cream. Spread some flour on your work space, some on your rolling pin and then start rolling that dough into a baking sheet size square, between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

I took some of the bacon fat and greased the baking sheet, before I laid the stretched out dough on there. Tidy up and even out the rim a bit. I took the shredded Parmesan and sprinkled, well layered it even all over the dough.

Filling
First I chopped the bacon slices into smaller pieces and sauteed it in a big wok, (frying pan works too, just be more careful with your cooking temperatures). I added the onions and celery and then the mushrooms and kept the whole mixture cooking on medium heat. (You may want to get rid of the excessive bacon fat, I don't, it mixed well with the other ingredients and enhances the taste, I also added about two tablespoons of cream.)

In a bowl I whisked up four eggs, the rest of the sour cream and added the small crumbled Feta cheese. Some salt, some pepper, a little bit of nutmeg. I then folded the whole mixture from the wok into the bowl and let stand while I prepared the leek.

One important thing with leek is that it needs to be thoroughly cleaned. Remove (if you have) some wilted or "hard" outer "leaves" from the sticks, half the stick lengthwise and chop into half rings, maybe a 1/2 an inch thick. Put the chopped leek into a colander or a big sieve, rinse and toss, till all the dirt washes out. Take the same wok (no need to clean it) and melt several table spoons of butter. Braise the leek for several minutes. The wok has the advantage that you can move the leek from the hot bottom to the side to not overcook it. Normally you would add a cup or two of bouillon to the leek to let it simmer and finish cooking, but remember we want to make a tart, so too much fluid will not work. I added about half a cup of an (instant) bouillon / cream mix. dissolving the bouillon in the cream. When the leek got tender I mixed it with the other ingredients in my bowl.

Baking
With a ladle I evenly filled up my tart, put it in the preheated oven and let it bake at 390° F for about half an hour, till all the ingredients set and the top starts to get golden brown. Put on a wire rack and let cool to an eatable temperature. BTW, the tart also tastes good cold (if you don't want to reheat it) the next couple of days.

Sources: Refrigerator