Tomato, Green Chili, and Corn Tart

Eric and I bought a bunch of Hatch roasted green chilies from a woman on the side of the road in Taos, New Mexico, thinking we would freeze most of them for later use.   

Now we are wondering why we didn't buy more!  

Many grocery stores sell cans of Hatch Green Chilies, but if a farmer is selling fresh, roasted ones at a roadside near you, I would highly recommend pulling your car over.   Hatch, I was told by the lady in Taos, refers to the Hatch Valley in New Mexico where the chilies are grown along the Rio Grande river and they are supposedly the best.   They range from mild to very spicy and we went for the spicier ones.

First I made a batch of Green Chili Sauce and used it for a quick meal one night with a package of pre-made polenta, green chilies, and cheddar cheese.  I had to go to a meeting that evening so I prepared the dish and left Eric with instructions to bake it for about 30 minutes.  I got home at the tail end of dinner to an almost finished baking dish.   It tasted somewhere between an enchilada and a tamale and had plenty of heat.

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This week I made a tart using cherry tomatoes, roasted green chilies, and fresh sautéed corn.   I did cut a corner and used a frozen pie crust.  I know— it's shocking.   But true.  It was gluten-free though which is really neither here nor there, but if you are GF, it is good to know that there are frozen pie crust options at the store. I brought this to a friend’s house that night and actually finished baking it there because I was running late.   When I took it out of their oven, my friend starting digging in with a tortilla chip and eating it as an appetizer.  Not quite how I imagined it going down...but it worked.   And it disappeared pretty quickly.   So, you could forgo the crust and make this into more of an appetizer/dip kind of dish. While you could technically use a lot of frozen and canned ingredients in this dish, fresh ingredients really will make a difference in taste.

Tomato, Green Chili, and Corn Tart

• 2 TBSP Coconut Oil

• 1 small/medium Onion, chopped

• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped

• 1 Cup Green Chilies, Chopped

• 3 ears Fresh Corn (kernels cut off) - or about 3 cups

• Salt and pepper

• juice of  1/2 Lime

• 1 basket of Cherry Tomatoes (about 2 cups)

• 1 Cup Cheese ( Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Goat Cheddar), Shredded and separated

• 3 Farm Eggs

• 1/2 Cup Milk ( I use Coconut or Almond Milk)

• 1 Pie Crust *I also made this using a polenta crust which came out well

1. 1. f the corn/chile mixture to the Pie crust.  

   2. Sprinkle some cheese evenly on top. 

   3. Add the remaining corn mixture.   

   4. Layer the tomatoes on top and the remaining cheese.  

   5. Pour the egg mixure on top.  

   6. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

   7. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes, until crust on golden.

   te for about 5-10 minutes.  

2. In a small bowl, mix the eggs, milk and 1/2 of the cheese together.   

3. Add 1/2 of the corn/chile mixture to the Pie crust.  

4. Sprinkle some cheese evenly on top. 

5. Add the remaining corn mixture.   

6. Layer the tomatoes on top and the remaining cheese.  

7. Pour the egg mixure on top.  

8. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

9. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes, until crust on golden.