Not everyone is a fan of Krautstiel, Swiss chard. (More on what makes Swiss chard ‘Swiss’ in this post)

My husband, Sam, loves this leafy, colourful green and plants it in our garden every year without fail. My mother wrinkles her nose every time I suggest serving it. But one dish she can actually get on board with is this Wähe. Convinced by the buttery base and custardy, not too ‘chardy’ filling, she’ll happily come for lunch when it’s on the menu.

Most kinds of leafy greens could work in this recipe—colourful , or even spinach or kale (though you might need to initially cook this a little longer, just until it’s softened).

Dough:

200 g flour

pinch of salt

80 g butter, cold

125 ml water, cold

Filling:

600-700 g Swiss chard

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

a handful of fresh herbs, roughly chopped

2 eggs

300 ml milk or cream (or a mix of both)

nutmeg, salt and pepper

3 tbsp breadcrumbs

80 g Sbrinz or parmesan, grated

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Try not to overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Press the dough into a disc, wrap, and let cool in the fridge for about an hour.

Roll out your dough and line a 26 cm (10 inch) round tart pan. Lightly poke the bottom of the dough all over with a fork, then keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready. 

Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6.

Filling:

Clean and process the Swiss chard—roughly chop the leaves and finely mince the stems.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Once it is spluttering, add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

Over medium heat, add the chard stems and cook until softened. Then add the chopped leaves and fresh herbs and cook for a few minutes more.

Remove from heat and let cool in the pan, or transfer to another bowl to cool.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasonings.

Get your prepared tart shell and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Stir the cheese into the chard and add to the tart shell, evenly distributing everything.

Pour the egg mixture over top.

Bake in the bottom part of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the tart is nicely browned.

• Many herbs would work here. I used a mix of thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, sage, and rosemary. Use what you have.

• For the liquid element, I went half milk and half cream. For a lighter version, go for all milk, something richer demands more cream.

• Don’t omit the breadcrumbs, they help absorb additional liquid and prevent a soggy bottom.