You’ll not find these dishes in a restaurant, but they are perfect to enrich an important dinner, and, at home, they can be a good second course or a good complete dinner.
I prepare the tarts with refrigerate puff pastry I can fill it with artichokes, or ham and cheese, or spinaches, always I cook the vegetables before, then I mix the vegetables with one or two eggs, I place the mix into the puff pastry and I cook all into the oven.
Different are Zucchini and peppers, when I empty these vegetables I mix the part of the vegetables with the meat and the egg, I fill them and I cook into the oven. For the onions you have to boil them for 15 minutes before emptying and filling them again.

Torta di carciofi = Artichokes tart

• Artichokes (2 per person)
• Refrigerate puff pastry
• Garlic (one cove)
• Parsley
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• One egg

Clean carefully the artichokes, cutting away the tough leaves and divide them in quarters; put them in a bowl with water and lemon juice (so they don’t get dark).
Warm up 3 spoons of oil oil with the garlic cove and add the artichokes, cook for about 15 minutes, if necessary add a little water, salt and some minced parsley.
While the artichokes are cooking roll out the puff pastry and place it into a pie dish (it will be, larger then the dish), Mix one egg to the artichokes and fill the pastry with the mixture, cover it folding the extra pastry. Bake for 30 minutes (200°).

Porrata = Leeks tart

• 2 or 3 leeks
• Refrigerate puff pastry
• 2 or 3 eggs
• Flour
• One glass of milk
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Clean carefully the leeks and cut them in little pieces (one cm), warm up 3 spoons of olive oil, add the leeks and cook them for 20 minutes. roll out the puff pastry and place it into a pie dish forming a bowl. In a bowl shake the eggs, add one full spoon of flour and the milk, mix all with the leeks and place the mixture into the pastry bowl. Bak for 20 minutes (180°)

Torta di prosciutto e formaggio = Tart with ham and cheese

• Refrigerate puff pastry
• Ham (100 grams)
• Gruyere cheese in slices
• one egg

Divide the puff pastry into two parts and roll them out forming two discs. Place one disc on the metal plate of the oven place on it the ham slices and the gruyere slices leaving an edge of about 1 or 2 centimetres. Cover with the other pastry disc, fix it pressing along the edge. Shake the egg and paint the surface with the shacked egg. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes.

Sformati di verdure = Vegetable flan

Vegetables’ flan are a little more difficult here are some Florentine recipes:

Sformato di carciofi = Artichokes flan

• 12 artichokes
• 3 eggs
• Flour
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• Grated Parmigiano (3 full spoons)
• Chicken livers (8/10) or meat ragù
• Olive oil
• Sage
• Garlic

Use a ring shaped mould which can be opened with a hinge, anyway oil the mould and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, this will allow you to turn it out easily.
Clean carefully the artichokes, cutting away the tough leaves and divide them in quarters; put them in a bowl with water and lemon juice (so they don’t get dark). Boil the artichokes in salt water for 20 minutes. Drain and pass them into the mixer, add some flour (3 full spoons), 3 yolks, a little nutmeg powder, the parmesan and at least whisk egg-whites stiff and add them mixing with a fork up and down, (not mixing in circles)
Put all into a ring shaped mould and cook in a Bain Marie into the oven for 40 minutes (180°) Never open the oven while baking.
While the flan is baking prepare the chicken livers: warm up the olive oil with a garlic cove and 3 or 4 leaves of sage, place the chicken livers and cook them for 10/15 minutes adding a little water. Grind the livers into little pieces, replace them into their sauce and when the flan is ready cover it with the grinded livers also in the centre of the ring. The best way to serve the flan is when it is tepid with the hot livers on. If you do like chicken livers you can use a meat ragù (the recipe is above in the Pasta section).

Sformato di spinaci = Spinach flan

• Spinaches (also deep frozen) 1 kg.
• 3 eggs
• Flour
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• Grated Parmigiano (3 full spoons)
• Chicken livers (8/10) or meat ragù
• Olive oil
• Sage
• Garlic

Use a ring shaped mould which can be opened with a hinge, anyway oil the mould and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, this will allow you to turn it out easily.
Boil the clean spinaches in salt water for 15 minutes. Drain them. When they are tepid, pass them into the mixer, add some flour (3 full spoons), 3 yolks, a little nutmeg powder, the parmesan and at least whisk egg-whites stiff and add them mixing with a fork up and down, (not mixing in circles)
Put all into a ring shaped mould and cook in a Bain Marie into the oven for 40 minutes (180°) Never open the oven while baking.
While the flan is baking prepare the chicken livers: warm up the olive oil with a garlic cove and 3 or 4 leaves of sage, place the chicken livers and cook them for 10/15 minutes adding a little water. Grind the livers into little pieces, replace them into their sauce and when the flan is ready cover it with the grinded livers also in the centre of the ring. The best way to serve the flan is when it is tepid with the hot livers on. If you do like chicken livers you can use a meat ragù (the recipe is above in the Pasta section).

Sformato di cardi = Cardoons flan

• 1 big cardoon or two little ones
• 3 eggs
• Flour
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• Grated Parmigiano (3 full spoons)
• Chicken livers (8/10) or meat ragù
• Olive oil
• Sage
• garlic

Use a ring shaped mould which can be opened with a hinge, anyway oil the mould and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, this will allow you to turn it out easily.
Clean carefully the cardoons, taking away the fibrous part divide them in pieces; put them in a bowl with water and lemon juice (so they don’t get dark). Boil the cardoons in salt water for 40 minutes. Drain and pass them into the mixer, add some flour (3 full spoons), 3 yolks, a little nutmeg powder, the parmesan and at least whisk egg-whites stiff and add them mixing with a fork up and down, (not mixing in circles)
Put all into a ring shaped mould and cook in a Bain Marie into the oven for 40 minutes (180°) Never open the oven while baking.
While the flan is baking prepare the chicken livers: warm up the olive oil with a garlic cove and 3 or 4 leaves of sage, place the chicken livers and cook them for 10/15 minutes adding a little water. Grind the livers into little pieces, replace them into their sauce and when the flan is ready cover it with the grinded livers also in the centre of the ring. The best way i to serve the flan is when it is tepid with the hot livers on. If you do like chicken livers you can use a meat ragù (the recipe is above in the Pasta section).

Pomodori ripieni di riso = Tomatoes filled with rice

• Red tomatoes (2 per person)
• Garlic (2 or 3 coves)
• Parsley (one bunch)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Rice (2 spoons for one tomato)

Wash the tomatoes, cut the upper part (like a hat) and empty them.
Mince the parsley and the garlic. In a bowl mix the rice with 3 full spoons of the parsley and garlic, add a little oil, the salt and fill the tomatoes with this mixture, cover each tomato with its cap. Place the tomatoes into a pan with a little oil, they must stand up and very close one to the other. Cook for 30 minutes adding a little water if necessary.
Once while they are cooking, take off their caps and, with a spoon, put into each tomato some sauce which they are cooking in, replace the cap and finish the slow cooking.

Zucchine ripiene = Zucchini filled with minced meat

• Round zucchini (2 per person)
• Minced meat (100 grams every 3 zucchini)
• One egg
• Grated Parmigiano (3 full spoons)
• Salt
• Oil

Wash the zucchini, with a sharp knife, cut the upper part (like a hat) and empty them. Mince the caps and the pulp, mix with the minced meat, the parmesan, the egg. Fill the zucchini with the mixture.
Place the zucchini into a pan with a little oil, they must stand up and very close one to the other. Cook for 30 minutes adding a little water and some salt if necessary. You can also bake them and grill for 5 minutes at the end.

Peperoni ripieni = Peppers filled with minced meat

• One pepper per person
• Minced meat (100 grams for each pepper)
• 2 eggs
• Grated Parmigiano (3 full spoons)
• Breadcrumbs (100 grams)
• Salt
• Olive oil

If you can, buy peppers in three colours: red, yellow and green Put in a bowl the breadcrumbs and some water to make a soft mixture, add the minced meat, the parmesan, the eggs and the salt; mix all.
Wash and clean the peppers cut them into two parts. Fill the half peppers with the mixture, bake for 40 minutes in an oiled baking tin. Grill for the last 5 minutes.

Cipolle ripiene = Onions filled with minced meat

• One onion per person
• Minced meat (100 grams for each pepper)
• 2 eggs
• Grated Parmigiano (3 full spoons)
• Breadcrumbs (100 grams)
• Salt
• Olive oil

Buy onions of the same size, clean and boil them in salt water for 10 minutes. Put in a bowl the breadcrumbs and some water to make a soft mixture, add the minced meat, the parmesan, the eggs and the salt; mix all.
Take the onions out of the water, divide them into two parts, with your fingers open the onions’ rings in the centre, fill the half onions with the mixture, bake for 40 minutes in an oiled baking tin. Grill for the last 5 minutes.