Chicken Tart with Kamut and Spinach

This tart is a great dish to try using whole grains. The sweet, slightly nutty flavour of the kamut brings together the flavours of chicken and spinach in this unusual recipe.

1 cup kamut berries
3 cups water
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 cups spinach
3 eggs, medium
1 cup 2% milk
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup old cheddar cheese, freshly grated
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 cups chicken, cooked, chopped
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
½ tsp. ground paprika
2 Tbsp. whole-wheat flour

Bring 3 cups (750 mL) of cold water to a boil in a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Add kamut berries and simmer for 60 minutes with lid on. Alternatively, soak the kernels overnight, and then cook for 30-40 minutes until tender.

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and sauté onion, garlic and parsley a few minutes until softened. Add clean wet spinach, cover and cook 5 minutes or until wilted. Do not overcook spinach.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and mix well with milk, salt and pepper and cooked, drained kamut berries. Add spinach mixture, carrots, diced yellow pepper, cheeses, chicken, dill, paprika and flour.

Spray large tart pan, or casserole dish, with vegetable oil cooking spray and pour in mixture. Smooth down top and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in centre comes out clean. Cut into wedges and serve.

Cook's Notes: Kamut berries are whole, unprocessed kernels of kamut. Kamut originated in Egypt and is an ancient relative to wheat. It has a pleasant, sweet and buttery flavour and 20-40% more protein than wheat. Kamut contains more healthy fatty acids, and is rich in magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E. Look for kamut berries, flakes and flour in bulk food stores, health food stores and ethnic markets. 1 cup dry kamut berries = 2 cups cooked.