Swiss Chard Olive Quiche

Quiche and savory tarts are my all-time favorite food. They're so versatile, you can pour almost anything into a good crust and chances are it won't fail. I love the contrast between a crispy crust and a moist, chewy filling. However, my quiches need to be homemade. No matter where I go, whenever there's quiche on the menu, I'm always tempted to try it, but have been again and again disappointed when the quiche I am brought is too thick and overdosed in eggs and cream (I never use cream in my tarts, and when necessary only one egg). I like tarts that are thin, and I want to taste the veggies!
Quiches are delicious warm just out of the oven, but perhaps even better cold the next day, once all the flavors have settled. Since the picnic season has started (my year is divided into picnic and non-picnic seasons), I have been making lots of them; they are a picnic-perfect meal.
A household favorite is spinach quiche, but for seasonal reasons, this time I had to go with swiss chard. Because I find spinach more flavorful than chard, I lined the crust with some black olive paste, to give it an extra punch.
Many people boil the greens before putting them into the tart, don't do this! It's unnecessary and adds too much water to them. Just a skillet is fine, even for the chard, just make sure you chop the stems finely.
Usually I'm too lazy to make a homemade crust, but this time I tried a recipe from a recent post by Clotilde at chocolate & zucchini. It was really easy to make, and truly delicious. I especially liked the idea of putting dried herbs into the crust mix. I used some rosemary and thyme I still had left over from a recent trip to my friends Ari and Diego's garden in Montserrat. When the tart was in the oven it gave of a delicious aroma of the herbs. I think I may never buy ready-made crusts again.
On a recent trip to New York I bought this great gadget for tarts called "first slice" at Williams Sonoma. Whenever I remember to put it in under the crust before baking, I am very thankful for that first slice that doesn't break.

Swiss Chard Olive Tart Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tart crust (homemade or prepared)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch fresh Swiss Chard, chopped
a pinch fine grain sea salt
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons black olive paste
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 egg
almond powder (or grated Parmesan, for non-vegans)

Directions:
Preheat oven.
Line a round tart pan with the crust and prick it with a fork so it won't rise in the oven. Bake on its own for about 10 minutes, just before it starts to turn golden. Remove from oven.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped onions and sea salt, and sauté a few minutes, until the onions become translucent. Add the chopped Swiss Chard and sauté for another 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Beat in the egg.
Paint the base of the crust with the black olive paste. Spoon the vegetables into the crust. Top with some powdered almond (or grated parmesan, if desired). If you have leftover crust, decorate the top with strips or whatever shape you wish.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Let it cool down before serving.