While there are many recipes in the cookbook that I found interesting, the photo and description of a Very Full Tart made it one that I wanted to try first (and don't we all love firsts?). The time and effort that went into the making of this tart filled with Mediterranean flavors were well worth it as it's taste was nothing short of amazing. If I said this recipe was labor intensive, I might dissuade you from making it. So instead I will tell you it is somewhat time intensive, although don't let that be a deterrent. Remember the old adage 'nothing good comes easy'? This tart proves that old adage to be true.
With most of the vegetables in this tart at their peak during the summer months, this is a recipe that pays homage to nature's bounty. Roasting the eggplant, sweet potato, zucchini and peppers along with the caramelizing of the onions further intensifies the flavors of these vegetables, transforming them further into something beyond wicked good. This tart is a meal all in of itself (served with a simple salad lightly dressed with maybe a champagne vinaigrette) or it could be a great side dish to a roasted chicken or a grilled steak (yes, I realize that a meal without protein is not necessarily a meal for everyone).
There are seven different vegetables in this tart. Would this be a lucky number of ingredients or just a lucky combination? The number seven may be lucky (for some) but I am certain that Yotam Ottolenghi knew what he was doing when he created this seven vegetable tart recipe.
Going into a 450 degree oven first are the red and yellow peppers drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil. They will remain in the oven until all of the vegetables have been roasted. When the peppers are finished roasting, they are covered with aluminum foil and allowed to cool slightly before removing the skins and slicing into thin strips.
The eggplants, cut in a one inch dice, are mixed with four tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, some salt and pepper, spread on a baking sheet and placed in the oven on the rack under the peppers.
After 12 minutes has lapsed, you add the 1/2 inch diced sweet potatoes to the eggplant.
After another 12 minutes has lapsed, the one inch diced zucchini is added to the baking sheet containing the eggplant and sweet potatoes.
Once the zucchini is added the vegetables are roasted for another 10 to 12 minutes (I went with the 12 minutes) bringing the total roasting time for the peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes and zucchini to 36 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, the onion is sliced and added to two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil that has been heated in a saute pan. Along with two bay leaves, the onions are sautéed until they are lightly caramelized, soft and sweet. I used one large Spanish onion in this recipe (as I think this onion caramelizes best) instead of two medium-sized onions. When the onions are finished caramelizing, the pan is removed from the stove allowing the onions to cool.
The pie shell needs to be pre-baked before any of the ingredients are added. For this tart I used a deep 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. After the pie crust dough is placed in the tart pan, it is covered with a large sheet of parchment paper and filled with pie weights or dried beans and baked for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. After 30 minutes the parchment paper the weights are removed and the shell is baked for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the shell is golden brown.
The caramelized onions are layered in the pie shell first, followed by the addition of all of the roasted vegetables including the roasted peppers. I must have been distracted at this stage because I forget to add the peppers to the roasted eggplant, sweet potatoes and zucchini. It wasn't until after I added the cheeses that I remembered to add the peppers, but fortunately it all worked.
I have thyme growing in abundance in my garden and needed to harvest only eight sprigs. The leaves are removed from the thyme (no chopping here) and divided in half. One half of the thyme leaves are sprinkled over the vegetables, while the other half is sprinkled over the entire tart once the filling is poured in.
Using the best feta cheese and whole milk ricotta you can find, both are sprinkled over the vegetables.
A cup of heavy whipping cream mixed with two large eggs forms the binder for this tart. The cream egg mixture is poured over the cheese layer. Seven cherry tomatoes are cut in half are then placed on top along with the rest of the thyme leaves. The tart is baked at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until the filling sets and is golden. I baked my tart for almost 55 minutes and the texture was perfect.
After the tart is removed from the oven it should be allowed to set for at least 10 minutes before being removed from the tart shell. I waited another 5 minutes before I cut a slice (using a serrated knife). Waiting to cut the tart was the hardest part of making this recipe as once it was removed from the oven and its aroma and beauty taken in, I just wanted to taste it. The first bite would be what I would call scream worthy, scream worthy beyond good. And the investment in time that went into the making of this recipe, well it seemed insignificant once I tasted this tart.
Recipe
Mediterranean Tart (slight adjustments made to Yotam Ottolenghi's Very Full Tart recipe)
Ingredients
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
about 6 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
3 small Italian eggplants or one medium eggplant cut into a one inch dice (skins remain on)
1 small sweet potato, peeled, cut into a half-inch dice
1 small to medium sized zucchini cut into a one inch dice (skin remains on)
1 large or 2 medium sized Spanish onions, sliced thin
2 bay leaves
11 ounces pie crust dough (I used a refrigerated pie crust dough by Pillsbury.)
8 thyme springs, leaves removed
1/3 cup whole milk ricotta
4 1/2 ounces feta cheese (suggest buying the large chunk of feta and then crumbling)
7 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F).
2. Cut around the stem of the peppers, removing the stems and seeds. Place peppers in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and put on top shelf in the oven.
3. Mix the diced eggplant with 4 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, some salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Spread on a large baking pan and place on shelf below the peppers.
4. After 12 minutes add the diced sweet potato to the eggplant.
5. After another 12 minutes add the diced zucchini to the eggplant and sweet potatoes. Roast for another 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove all vegetables from the oven. Cover the peppers with aluminum foil and allow to cool before removing skins and slicing into strips.
7. Heat 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a large saute pan and add sliced onions, bay leaves and a generous pinch of salt. Saute the onions until they have lightly caramelized, are soft and sweet. Remove from heat and let cool (remove bay leaves).
8. Place pie dough in a 9 inch tart pan (recommend using a 2 inch deep tart pan), cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.
9. Layer the bottom of the crust with the caramelized onions followed by the mixture all of the roasted vegetables and half of the thyme leaves.
10. Dot the vegetables with small chunks of the feta and ricotta cheeses. Add the cherry tomato halves.
11. Whisk together the eggs and whipping cream. Pour over top of mixture.
12. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes (my baking time was 55 minutes) or until the filling is set and turns golden. Allow the tart to rest for 10 minutes before removing from tart pan. Allow to rest an additional 5 minutes before cutting (using a serrated knife).
I have never been to Portugal (or anywhere in the Mediterranean) but since moving to east coast I have made many Portuguese friends. When they describe Portugal, particularly the Azores (and every Portuguese person I have met has been to Portugal at least once) they describe a summer landscape dominated by blue hydrangeas. Living in the midwest I found it impossible to keep hydrangeas blue without constantly treating the soil (and even then they wouldn't stay blue). Bt the hydrangeas out east are some of the bluest I have ever seen (this side of the Atlantic). I cannot help but think that the Portuguese brought over these amazing plants to serve as a reminder of the homeland they left behind. Thankfully soil and weather conditions out east were perfect to enable them to thrive.
The farmhouse I live in is surrounded by blue hydrangeas in the front of the house. This is just one of the reasons I love living in it. Last summer I planted more of them, including some lacy blue hydrangeas in a bed on one side of the house so I would have enough blooms that rooms would be filled with an endless number of bouquets. It is mid-June and already the hydrangeas are beginning to bloom here. Whenever I see rows of blue hydrangeas (and where I live they are everywhere) my heart races and my breath is taken away as I take in their beauty. And if I think the hydrangeas here and on Nantucket are incredible, I can only imagine what they must look like in the Azores. But for now I am incredibly happy (the kind of pinch yourself it is too good to be true happy) that the landscape I see everyday in the summer here is one dominated by blue hydrangeas. And maybe even happier that I can bring this beauty of nature into the house.
