A Very Full Tart or A Tart Full of Sunshine

My blog seems lately to have transmogrified into a photo blog.  Not that I mind. I love taking photos and carry my camera (usually to the annoyance of those I`m with) almost everywhere with me.  However, when I set out on this blog adventure, my focus was really on all things quilty with perhaps a smattering of jewelery making and photography along the way.  However, for the last few weeks I`ve been spoiled with visits from family and friends and then there was our visit to the Lakes last weekend...not to mention the daily humdrum of life.  Lovely images are a little quicker than quilts to create. However, things seem to have settled a little now and so it`s time to steer this blog back on course...I need to create something!

But not before I share a recipe for a tart I made today or even created.  It`s adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi`s recipe for A Very Full Tart from his vegetarian book Plenty which my mum bought for me last year.

It`s the second recipe I`ve tried from Plenty.  The night before Y and I left for the Lakes I made the caramelized garlic tart, which has 3 heads (yes heads) of garlic in it.  I wasn`t overwhelmed as it was a little sweet for my liking.  If I said my husband, who hadn`t eaten the tart, was less impressed it would be an understatement.

So today I thought I would try a different tart.  I love tarts  - sweet or savoury, but especially savoury.

It is indeed a very full tart as the name suggests...full of roasted vegetables...

...caramelized onions, sweet juicy cherry tomatoes and two cheeses...and it is full of delicious Mediterranean flavours.

So if you need a little sunshine in your life, here`s the recipe...it serves 4 - 6 people

1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper

olive oil

1 medium aubergine, cut into 4cm dice

1 small sweet potato (I didn`t have one so used a few new potatoes boiled first)

1 small courgette cut into 3cm dice

2 medium onions

2 bay leaves (I had run out)

shortcrust pastry (I used 200g of wholemeal flour, 100g of butter and salt)

8 thyme sprigs

120g ricotta

120g feta (the feta here isn`t good so I used a very smelly goat`s cheese)

7 cherry tomatoes

2 medium free-range eggs

200ml double cream (I used half cream, half milk)

salt and pepper

• Preheat your oven to 230C, 450F or Gas Mark 8.

• Start by making your shortcrust pastry and lining a tart tin before putting it in the fridge to relax. Yotam suggests baking the pastry case blind but I never bother and the tart had a lovely crisp bottom.

• Saute the onions with the bay leaves and salt until they turn brown, soft and sweet.  Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves and set aside.

• While the onions are cooking, cut the tops of the peppers and remove the remaining seeds.  Place the peppers in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and place on the top shelf.

• Mix the aubergine with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper in a bowl before putting on a baking tray with the diced courgette.  Put on the shelf underneath the peppers. After 12 minutes, add the sweet potato if using one.

• When the peppers have blackened and the vegetables are roasted, remove and place the peppers in a plastic bag to cool. Once cool, remove the skins and tear into strips.

• Reduce the temperature to 160C, 310F or Gas Mark 2

• Scatter the cooked onions evenly over the bottom of the pastry case and top with the roasted vegetables, arranging them evenly.  Scatter half the thyme leaves over and dot the vegetables with small bits of the two cheeses and then the tomatoes  - cut side up.

• Beat the eggs and cream milk mixture with some salt and pepper and pour over the tart case leaving the tops of the vegetables and tomatoes so that you can see them.  Scatter the remaining thyme over the top (I forgot) and cook in the oven for 35  - 40 minutes until the filling is set and it`s golden brown.

• Enjoy with a simple green salad  - that`s all you need!

A Happy Easter to everyone who is celebrating it this weekend!