Rustic Ham and Bean Tart

      This is a great dish, especially if you like ham and bean soup.  It's almost like a ham and bean pie, but with the creaminess of cheese and the crunch of fresh vegetables.  Using store bought refrigerated pie crust makes this easy to make for a quick lunch or dinner.

1 refrigerated pie crust
1 Tablespoon + 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb of ham or smoked pork, boneless, cut into thick pieces 
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped coarsely
3/4 cup of thick sliced white button mushrooms
1 Tablespoon of flour, plus some for dusting the table later
1 Tablespoon of your favorite wine
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup of pecorino romano cheese, grated fine
1/4 cup of cottage cheese
1/2 cup of cannellini beans
12 snow peas
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 Tablespoon of celery leaves, chopped finely
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Let the pie crust come to room temperature.
 
Meanwhile, heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add ham.  Saute until brown and crisp on the edges.  Remove ham from the pan and set aside.  Lower heat to medium-low.

Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes.  Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Add another Tablespoon of oil to the same pan.  Stir in the flour and let it cook for a few seconds to cook out the flour taste.  Stir in the wine, constantly stirring until all of the flour absorbs all of the wine, about 30 seconds.  Whisk in the milk, lower heat to low, and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to prevent scalding the milk.  When it starts to simmer, add the grated cheese and the cottage cheese.  Add the onions and mushrooms to the mixture.  Bring back to a simmer and continue simmering 5 minutes so the sauce will thicken.  

Roll the dough out on a slightly floured surface to a diameter of 12".  Transfer to a round pizza pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil.  

Spoon the sauce to the pie dough to within 2 and 1/2 inches of the edge.  Add the ham on top, then the beans on top of the ham.  Fold edges over.

Bake until the center bubbles and edges are brown, about 15 minutes. 

When you take it out, immediately top with the snow peas, tomatoes and celery leaves.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.  Doing that immediately allows the tart to warm, but not cook, your vegetables.
 
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.