“Those days felt like the threshold of the season. Snow drops were giving way to crocuses on the little green strands of lawn on the way into the business park and visits to my mum’s were soundtracked by the sparrows in the hedges on her block. I love winter but I think spring, lusty spring, is my favourite time of year.”
Ali Schofield 1983-2018
This recipe is a celebration of spring, and I type it as a cheeky robin jumps around the window box on my balcony, finding scraps for his nest between quivering leaves of sorrel. A shortcrust pastry tart, sweet with green onions gently sauteed in butter, filled with creamy, earthy Jersey royal potatoes and nutty broad beans; buttered, wilted wild garlic and crumbled feta to top it off. It’s many of my favourite things in one place and I would like to dedicate it to my dear friend Ali Schofield, who very sadly passed away last week.
Ali was a lifelong vegetarian and a lover of nature and of spring – she wrote the beautiful paragraph above as part of the unfinished novel she was working on, and I think she would approve of this recipe. I only wish I had the chance to make it for her.
You can read the most wonderful tribute to Ali by The Big Issue North, for whom she wrote a column here.
1 batch of shortcrust pastry (I used shop bought for this)
200g Jersey potatoes, scrubbed
Butter
Olive oil
4-6 spring onions, sliced
A couple of sprigs of thyme
2 eggs
150g full fat natural yoghurt
20ml milk
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
50g broad beans
A handful wild garlic, washed and dried
Tbsp feta, crumbled (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180 fan. Roll out your pastry and carefully line a 20cm tart tin. Line with crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 25 mins, then remove the baking beans and paper and return for the oven for another 5-8 mins or until the base is golden and dry.
While that’s happening, put the potatoes in a pan with a tsp of salt, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 10-12 mins, or until the potatoes are tender and slip off the blade of a sharp knife easily. Drain and allow to cool, then slice.
In a pan, melt a knob of butter and a slug of olive oil and gently sautee the leeks with the thyme sprigs and salt and pepper, until tender and aromatic.
Blanche the broad beans in boiling water, drain and, once cooled, peel the skins off the beans to reveal the smooth, green flesh underneath.
Crack the eggs into a jug or bowl and whisk with the yoghurt and milk. Season well with salt, pepper, and a good grating of nutmeg.
Cover the base of the pastry with the sauteed leeks, then spread out the Jersey potato slices, scatter over the beans, and pour over the custard. Crumble over the feta, if using. Finally, melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and gently fry the wild garlic, until wilted. Pour this over the tart.
Bake in the oven for 10 mins, then turn the heat down to 150 fan and cook for a further 40 mins until the filling is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and settle for about 20 mins, then slice and serve with a sharply-dressed green or fennel salad.