Fresh Tomato Feta Tart
Fresh Tomato and Feta Tart is what I call classic mediterranean cooking, as the marriage of short crisp pastry, sun kissed robust ruby red tomatoes and a touch of crumbled saltiness of feta cheese is sublime, and all topped with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and the elixir of life .. oodles of extra virgin olive oil. What could be better…simply delicious.
Ingredients
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Short crust pastry:
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180g plain flour
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90g butter- chilled and cut into cubes
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1 egg yolk
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1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
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Pinch of salt- optional
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2-3 tbsp cold water- chilled
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Filling:
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10 medium sized tomatoes- cut in half horizontally, core base removed
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Few sprigs of fresh oregano or basil
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90g firm feta cheese- to be crumbled on top
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1 tsp sugar- or honey
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2 plump garlic cloves- finely chopped
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Sea salt flakes- to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper- generous
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½ tsp mustard powder
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6 large black olives- stoned
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Zest of one small lemon- cut into fine strips
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6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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Prepare pastry:
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01 Mix egg yolk and water lightly together in a bowl. Using a food process fitted with a metal blade, process flour, zest, salt and butter until crumbs form. Add egg and cold water mixture and process until pastry forms a ball.
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02 Wet flan tin very lightly. If pastry is very short and crumbly break into pieces and press firmly and evenly into tin or roll out and line as usual. Chill well – place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
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03 Bake pastry case ‘blind’ for 15-20 minutes. Pastry should be firm and pale golden. Cool pastry case in the tin before filling.
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Filling:
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04 Turn oven down to 130° C. Arrange tomatoes on their sides and at an angle in a circular shape, on the pastry case base. Now add the herbs – placing between the tomatoes. Sprinkle with sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, mustard, olives, lemon zest, crumbled chunks of feta cheese and 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake towards the bottom of the oven for 1 hour.
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05 After one hour spoon over the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and move the tart up to the centre of the oven and bake for a further 30-40 minutes.
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06 Finally spoon remaining the last 2 tbsp of olive oil over the tomatoes and place under the grill until the tops of the tomatoes blacken slightly. Watch out – this can colour fast.
Notes
This recipe fits a 21cm round baking tin. Pack the tomatoes tightly as they will shrink during cooking and for a more Mediterranean taste sprinkle after baking with balsamic vinegar – scrummy! This tart can be eaten warm or cold. You probably noticed I mentioned chilling the pastry in the freezer before baking blind. Just a wee tip to ensure crisp, short pastry after baking! Also note, double up the quantities for a more generous tart.
