Food / 26 September, 2022 / My Baba

7 Delicious Savoury Tarts

Pea, Mozzarella and Lemon Tart

Ingredients:

• 320g ready rolled all-butter puff pastry
• Plain flour for dusting
• 200g frozen peas, defrosted
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 250g ricotta, strained of excess liquid (see food team’s tips)
• 1 medium free-range egg
• 200g mozzarella ball, torn
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• Handful cress

Method:

• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Roll the puff pastry into a 30cm x 25cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Slide the pastry onto a floured baking sheet, then top with a second floured baking sheet (this acts as a weight while the pastry cooks and prevents it rising too much).
• Bake the pastry for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven. If the pastry has puffed up regardless of the weight, gently press the top baking sheet down to flatten it. Allow to cool for a minute or two.
• Put three quarters of the peas, the garlic cloves and 1-2 tbsp water in a blender or food processor and whizz until you have a rough, bright green paste. In a separate bowl, combine the strained ricotta and the egg. Add the pea paste to the ricotta mixture and mix very lightly so there are still visible pockets of green and white. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.
• Dollop the combined mixture onto the tart base. Top with the remaining whole peas and the torn mozzarella. Season again, then bake for 15 minutes or until the ricotta mixture has puffed slightly and the edges of the tart are beginning to turn golden brown.
• Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle over the lemon zest, mint and cress. Serve immediately, cut into generous squares

Pancetta And Herb Tart

Ingredients:

• 140g pancetta cubes
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 150ml double cream
• 50ml whole milk
• 3 tbsp grated pecorino
• Chopped parsley, mint and dill
• 20cm shortcrust pastry case

Oven-Dried Tomato And Taleggio Tart with Pesto

Ingredients:

• 500g chilled block puff pastry
• Plain flour for dusting
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to grease
• 250g taleggio cheese, thinly sliced
• 24 oven-dried tomatoes
• Small fresh basil leaves to garnish

For the pesto:

• 40g fresh basil leaves
• 25g pine nuts
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 25g finely grated parmesan

Method:

• For the pesto, put the basil, pine nuts, garlic and oil into a mini food processor or pestle and mortar and blend/grind until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, then stir in the parmesan and a little salt.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. For the tart, roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 23cm x 33cm rectangle. Lift it onto a lightly greased baking sheet, prick here and there with a fork and chill for 20 minutes, then blind bake for 18-20 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven, carefully turn over and bake for 5 minutes more, then remove and carefully flip back over once more.
• Spread 3 tbsp of the pesto over the pastry, leaving a 2.5cm border all around. Arrange the taleggio slices and oven-dried tomatoes on top. Drizzle over 1 tbsp oil and bake for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese has just melted.
• Remove from the oven and cut into 8 pieces. Scatter with a few small basil leaves and serve warm.

Courgette And Mozzarella Tart

Ingredients:

• 375g ready-rolled puff pastry
• 1 jar roasted red peppers in olive oil (about 100g), drained and sliced
• 200g vegetarian mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 small courgette, green or yellow, finely sliced
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Pared zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Unroll the pastry to flatten it out, then cut in half. Place on 1 large or 2 medium-sized baking sheets. Score a 2cm border on each pastry rectangle, then score each border with a pattern. Prick the inner part with a fork close together. Chill for 10 minutes.
• Cover the pastry with the peppers, mozzarella and courgette and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the parsley, garlic and lemon zest together. Remove the tart from the oven and scatter the lemon and herbs over it. Return to the oven and bake for a further 2 minutes, or until the mozzarella is pale golden. Slice to serve.

Tenderstem And Spring Onion Galettes with Goat’s Cheese

Ingredients:

• 200g tenderstem broccoli, halved (and sliced lengthways if thick)
• 8 spring onions, cut into thirds
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Cream cheese pastry
• Plain flour to dust
• 150g soft goat’s cheese or ricotta
• 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze
• Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle

Method:

• To make the filling, put the broccoli and spring onions in a pan, cover with boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes until nearly cooked. Drain and run under cold water until cool, then pat dry and put in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, toss to coat and season well.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then, using an upturned saucer as a guide, cut out 4 rough 15-17cm discs. You’ll probably need to re-roll the trimmings. Put 2 spoons of cheese/ricotta in the centre of each circle and spread a little. Divide the veg among the discs, so it surrounds but doesn’t totally cover the cheese. Leave a 2-3cm border.
• Brush the pastry border on each tart with beaten egg, then fold it over in sections, crimping it at the pleats, working your way around the galette to partially cover the veg. Brush the pastry with more beaten egg. Line 1-2 baking sheets with baking paper, put the galettes on top, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Drizzle the chilled tarts with olive oil, then bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. If the vegetables start to blacken, cover with small discs of foil. Serve the galettes warm or leave to cool to room temperature.

Cheesy Courgette Tart

Ingredients:

• 150g prosciutto slices
• 1 large garlic clove
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 200g pot crème fraîche
• 2 large free-range egg yolks
• 250g taleggio, sliced, rind removed
• 3 courgettes, very thinly sliced lengthways on a mandoline
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, chopped

For the polenta pastry:

• 75g quick-cook polenta
• 225g plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 150g cold butter, chopped
• 30g parmesan
• 1 large free-range egg yolk

Method:

• First, make the pastry. Place the polenta, flour and salt in a bowl, add the butter and rub together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the parmesan, then the egg yolk and about 4-5 tbsp ice-cold water to bind. Bring together in a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 and place a baking sheet in to heat up. Roll out the pastry, use to line a 28cm x 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin (or use a 23cm round tin) and prick the base all over with a fork. Line with baking paper, fill with baking beans or rice, place on the hot baking sheet and blind-bake for 12 minutes. Remove the paper and beans/rice and return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden and crisp. Turn the oven down to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4.
• Meanwhile, blend the prosciutto, garlic and 2 tbsp of the oil in a food processor. In a frying pan, soften the onion in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
• Spread the prosciutto mix over the base of the tart and scatter over the onion. Mix the crème fraîche and egg yolks and pour over the top. Top with the sliced taleggio and bake for 15-20 minutes until just set.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, toss the courgette in the remaining oil. Heat a griddle pan until hot and griddle the courgette, in batches, for 2 minutes on each side, then set aside.
• Lay the courgettes over the tart, then scatter with the lemon zest and hazelnuts. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Slice and serve warm.

Caramelised Onion Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:

• 230g ready-rolled 32cm circle of puff pastry (we like Marie La Pâte Feuilletée, from Ocado), or see tip
• 50g unsalted butter
• 4-6 small onions, halved
• 100ml sweet oloroso sherry
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, cut into smaller sprigs

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Prick all over with a fork, then put in the fridge to chill.
• Melt the butter in a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Ideally it needs to be about 20cm across the base, 25cm across the top and 5cm deep. Add the onion halves, cut-side up, and fry gently for 10 minutes until soft and starting to caramelise, turning them over gently halfway through. Add the sherry and rosemary sprigs, season well, then cover with a lid from another pan or some foil. Transfer to the oven for 20 minutes until the onions are soft.
• Take the pastry out of the fridge and drape it over the pan, tucking in the edges around the softened onions. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out carefully onto a wooden board or platter. Season and slice to serve.

Nasi Goreng Chicken Fried Rice

Red Salmon Ramem