Our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group just held its annual auction fundraiser. Many moms, their friends and family, gathered together to eat, bid, and laugh. Lots of laughing actually. It’s one of those priceless times in the life of a mom of young children in which she can eat a plate of food without having to share all the best parts; her conversations can be started and finished; and thoughts of who needs to go potty or go to bed or stop jumping off of the furniture are far from her mind.

My contribution to this evening’s gaiety was an appetizer. We were given certain specifications about our appetizers– they should be a little fancy and not anything that required a utensil.

I love a good recipe and I love bringing home new ingredients that we do not often have around. However, some of my favorite dishes are those that only require what I typically have on hand. Turning whatever ingredients are on hand into an end product can be a fun exercise in creative thinking.

This appetizer calls for pie dough and several ingredients that I always try to have stocked in my pantry and in my freezer. The only ingredient that would qualify as a special ingredient would be the artichokes.

I liked these so much that I decided to make them again the next day for our church’s evening fellowship. The next time you have a party or get-together that calls for a little bit fancy finger food, give this recipe a try and see how many you (don’t) bring home!

Caramelized Onion, Kale, and Artichoke Tartlets

Makes 48 pieces

Ingredients List

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 C onion, diced
• 14 oz can artichoke hearts
• 2 C chopped kale, fresh or frozen
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 C Greek yogurt
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• fresh ground pepper
• Pie Dough

Method

1. Make the pie dough. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Stir in diced onion. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions become quite soft and take on a dark golden brown color.

3. Assemble your next ingredients while the onions are caramelizing. Drain the artichokes, then chop them in a food processor until chopped very small. Transfer to a small bowl. Next, chop the diced tomatoes in the food processor until chopped very small. Shred the Parmesan cheese if needed.

4. Add the chopped artichokes to the skillet and stir until well mixed.

5. Stir in the kale. If using frozen kale, cook for 5 minutes before adding the next ingredients to give the kale a chance to thaw and heat up.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir until well mixed.

7. Evenly sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top of the skillet mixture, then stir again to incorporate the cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes.

8. Mix in the Greek yogurt. Remove skillet from heat to cool slightly.

9. Preheat oven to 425°.

10. Take one disk of pie dough out of the refrigerator. Roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of about a quarter-inch. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the dough. Press the circles into an ungreased mini-muffin pan. Press together the dough scraps, reroll, and cut again until the mini-muffin pan is filled.

11. Scoop out kale mixture with a small spoon and add to pie dough in the muffin pan. Leave a little room at the top (do not fill to overflowing) and press down lightly.

12. Add a pinch of mozzarella cheese to each tartlet. Top with fresh ground pepper.

13. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until pie dough is golden and cheese is melted.

14. Let the tartlets cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing. This is very important to keep the tartlets from falling apart when you try to take them out.