I suppose it's quite possible that no-one in the Mediterranean region actually makes this, but it does have a lot of typical, yummy Mediterranean ingredients. I think I got the idea whilst idling away my time on Instagram. Anyhow, I found a few hits on google, so I cobbled up this version. Since I was using the grill pan over the weekend, I thought "well why not grill the vegetables? ", and I did. You could roast the veg if you want.
Ingredients:
1 pastry case - bought, or homemade, blind baked for 20 minutes
1 small aubergine/eggplant, sliced
2 small courgettes/zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 medium red pepper, seeds removed, cut into 4 pieces
1 large onion, cut into thick rings
2 or 3 tomatoes, cut into rings
6-8 whole cloves of garlic
About 12 small black olives, pitted
100 gms feta cheese
Olive oil
For the sauce:
1 small tin crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps tomato paste/puree
Fresh basil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Method:
Ingredients:
1 pastry case - bought, or homemade, blind baked for 20 minutes
1 small aubergine/eggplant, sliced
2 small courgettes/zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 medium red pepper, seeds removed, cut into 4 pieces
1 large onion, cut into thick rings
2 or 3 tomatoes, cut into rings
6-8 whole cloves of garlic
About 12 small black olives, pitted
100 gms feta cheese
Olive oil
For the sauce:
1 small tin crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps tomato paste/puree
Fresh basil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Method:
- If you have grill pan, or decide to use your outdoor grill, then simply fire it up until hot.
- Paint all the veg slices/rings with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill briefly on both sides ( the grill marks make them look nice, as well as intensifying flavours), remove and set aside until you have made the sauce. The garlic cloves go on whole; once they're cooled, you can peel the skin off and either leave them whole or chop roughly.
- If you decide to use the oven, then mix all the veg in a baking tray with some olive oil and salt (you could also add some herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, etc) and bake until cooked. Remove and set aside.
- For the sauce, heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Once it is lightly browned, add the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes, the basil, the sugar and the salt. Simmer the mixture gently, stirring frequently, until you have a thick, almost dry sauce. It should be a little sweet.
- To assemble the tart, spread a layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pastry case, then add the vegetables in layers. I put aubergines, courgettes, onion, peppers and tomatoes on top. It's up to you.
- Decorate with the olives and sprinkle with the Feta cheese. If there's any tomato sauce left, just pour it over.
- Bake for about 30 minutes at 375F or until the pastry is just browned at the edges.
