Say hello to your new favourite lunch or quick dinner idea: this Mediterranean Puff Pastry Tart bursts with flavour, requires minimal preparation and, dare I say it, looks a lot like pizza!
As I mentioned in a previous post, my boyfriend and I have been trying to incorporate more plant-based meals in our diet. In fact, we even had a full vegan week after going a bit heavy on the meat and dairy. And it is exactly during that week that I came up with this amazing tart.
To say that I have come up with this myself, though, is a bit of a lie. This tart, and many similar ones, have been part of my life for years. It all started when I was a child, and my family used to reunite in the summer to go on holiday together to the South of France. An unmissable part of the holiday where the picnics and packed lunches my mum and my aunt would gather together before going off to the beach or the countryside. They used to buy baguettes and fill them with all sorts of charcuterie and cheeses, soft-boiled eggs and salad. But we also had pasta, or vegetable pies. And then we had tarts. Admittedly, my mum or my aunt would not make the tarts, we would simply buy them at a bakery on our way.
Tarts are a common lunch option in France. Often served alongside a green salad, they come in a great variety of flavour combination. In the South, we often bought Pissaldiere, a tart made with anchovies and olives which might discourage picky children to ever eat a tart again (it’s a strong flavour). But the options are really endless, with fresh vegetables and cream and bacon as eligible toppings. We would wrap them in grease-proof paper and it would be an indulgent and yet healthy way to feed a crowd of overly exited children. So it goes without saying that these tarts have always occupied a special place in my heart.
With time, my mum and I actually started making these tarts at home, just as we used to make pizza together. I have always been involved with cooking, and these sort of dishes were attainable even for a child. My mum would buy some puff pastry and we would have fun splattering tomato sauce all over the surface and scattering fresh vegetable everywhere. It was quick and easy and it filled me with a real sense of achievement.
But somehow, since moving to the UK, I completely forgot these tarts existed. I started making other, more complicated meals, and left this convenient dinner idea aside. But when I was planning my weekly meals with my boyfriend and look at our supermarket’s offers (what a wild life, lol), I saw that puff pastry was half price, and just like that I remembered about those French tarts. It was a perfect idea, if I may say so myself. Not only it was cheap and easy to make, this tart was also, vegan.
If there is one thing I love, is those dishes that are accidentally vegan, but no one would actually know that they are. Do you know what I mean? They are not trying hard to be plant-based. So often, when I mention that I cook a lot of vegan foods, people say that they would do the same, but vegan cooking, to them, is not tasty, indulgent or simple enough and that they would need to stock up with expensive and unheard of ingredients. This is just not true, and I love that this tart proves it.
This dish really helps you get your five-a-day in an effortless way. The crunchiness of the red bell pepper and the red onion is well balanced by the softness of the mushrooms and the generous layer of tomato passata. The olives add a nice tangy flavour to it and the rocket leaves complement it all beautifully (and it’s an extra helping of greens you might otherwise not have had).
But here is the question you have all being wondering sicne the beginning of this post: is puff pastry vegan? (Followed by an incredulous gasp). Well, my friends, here is the thing. Traditional puff pastry is not vegan at all. In fact, it requires A LOT of butter. But many supermarkets’ own brand of puff pastry are incidentally vegan. This also goes for other beloved and versatile food items, including many garlic breads (but do make sure you check the ingredients list before buying them). So check on the back and you will see that many puff pastry brands use vegetable spreads rather than dairy, making it both vegan and cheaper at the same time.
As usual, you can play with this recipe and change it around depending on personal preference and what you have got in hand. This is the perfect meal to use those vegetables that are starting to go off. As they say, waste not want not. You can use all sorts of veg: aubergines and courgette would work wonders, for example. Or you can make it fancier: if you are not bothered about this tart being vegan, you can use mozzarella cheese or goat’s cheese, or even use some anchovies to give this a nice saltiness and tanginess. Or you can simply use your favourite vegan cheese.
The only thing I cannot stress enough is choosing good-quality passata. This is going to make the base of your dish, so you want something simple and natural that can accompany the dish, rather than something sugary and super processed (do they add a ton of sugar in cheaply made pasta sauces, you ask? Hell yeah!). Investing on a good passata will really elevate this tart and you will never look back, I promise!
Ingredients:
1 puff pastry sheet
250 – 300 gr passata
1 tsp oregano (or mixed herbs)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch of chilli powder (optional)
3 close cup mushrooms
1 small red bell pepper
½ red onion
A handful of olives (I like taggiasche or Kalamata)
Two big handfuls of rocket
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven at 180°C and take the puff pastry out of the fridge.
Make your marinara sauce first: in a bowl, mix together the passata, oregano, garlic powder, chilli powder, a generous pinch of salt and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.
Chop the red bell pepper, mushrooms and onions finely.
Unroll the puff pastry and transfer it on a baking tray. With a fork, pierce small holes all over the surface (this will prevent it from puffing and potentially bursting whilst baking.
With a spoon, cover the puff pastry with the marinara sauce, leaving a couple of cm on the edges uncovered.
Now sprinkle with your veggie toppings (go crazy!).
Before baking, brush the edges with a little olive oil, to make it nice and golden.
Bake for about 25 to 28 minutes. I normally increase the heat to 200°C once the tart been in the oven for about 20 min.
Once baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. The add a few olives and two generous handfuls of rocket on the top.
This Mediterranean Puff Pastry Tart can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are going to reheat it, don't add the olives and rocket after baking, but just before you are about to enjoy it, otherwise they will go soggy and unpleasant.
Enjoy!
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