A roasted vegetable tart

A terrible thing happened yesterday: my oven died! After 25 hard working years it just stopped. In between roasting peppers and baking mini quiches for a catering job (just to create some extra stress ;-)). As a fellow foodie I don’t have to tell you how annoying it is not being able to bake, roast or grill anything anymore....

But just a couple of days before this happened I made this delicious vegetable tart:

For the tart case (makes enough for 3 tart cases):

500 gram spelt flour

½ tsp salt

250 gram margarine

1 egg yolk

250 ml cold water

For the filling:

1 small courgette (zucchini) or ½ large one

1 small aubergine (eggplant) or ½ large one

200 gram pumpkin

2 red onions

150 gram or a large handful cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped herbs to taste (I used rosemary, thyme and oregano)

150 gram soft goat cheese

150 ml soy milk

2 eggs, beaten

¼ tsp bouillon powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the margarine, flour and salt into a food processor and pulse until you get a fine crumb.

Place the mixture into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the egg yolk and half of the water. Quickly combine the wet and dry ingredients using a fork, if necessary add more water.

If you aren’t able to use the fork anymore, start using your hand to bring the dough together into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in Clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes up to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 225°C.

When the dough is chilled, roll it out (2 mm) onto a floured surface to fit your preferred tart pan.

Place the dough into the prepared pan, trim the edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile you can start preparing the roasted vegetables.

Chop all the vegetables, except for the tomatoes, into 2 cm dice and place onto a roasting tin. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and the herbs. Place into the oven and roast for about 25 minutes until cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 175°C.

Blind bake the tart case for 30 minutes. Remove the baking beans and parchment paper, give the pastry a quick egg wash and bake for another 5 minutes.

Start making the custard by mixing the soymilk, eggs, salt and pepper to taste and bouillon powder.

Arrange the vegetables at the bottom of the tart case, pour over the custard and crumble over the goat cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes at 175°C or until the filling has set.

Eat while still warm.

Kohlrabi and pecorino soup

A couple of weeks ago I bought two kohlrabis at my local farmers market.

Since I never had kohlrabi before, I did some research and found a recipe for a kohlrabi and pecorino soup.  I adapted the recipe from the book ‘Zoete en hartige heerlijheden’ (sweet and savoury delights) by Kirsten Eckhart en Jan Willem Hendricks form the Amsterdam based restaurant Gartine.

For me this soup is a keeper: once cooked the kohlrabi may have quite a strong cabbage smell, but the flavour is much more subtle and it combines perfectly well with the salty sharpness of the pecorino cheese.

Ingredients:

2 kohlrabis

4 medium potatoes

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

2 medium onions, diced

A bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste

30 ml olive oil

Pecorino to taste

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onions and garlic. Turn the heat down, place the lid on the pan and fry for about 10 minutes, until the onions have softened but not browned.

In the mean time peel the kohlrabi and potatoes and cut into a 2cm dice. Add the kohlrabi, potatoes, parsley and stock and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes, until all the ingredients are cooked, and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some freshly grated pecorino and chopped parsley.