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Recipe for Mojo's Cheesy Vegetable Tart
Shortcrust pastry: Rub 55g cubed butter into 125g flour with a pinch of salt. Do this quickly so it won't be greasy, and stop when it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in 2 tablespoons of cold water with a knife to bind, and pack together into a ball (add 1 more tablespoon of water if necessary). Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 and prepare the following:
1 small courgette (zucchini) chopped into roughly 1cm slices diagonally
7 trimmed asparagus spears, chopped into two. Put aside the tips and dice the remaining 7 stalks into 1cm chunks
3 large mushrooms, thickly sliced
70g chunk of halloumi cheese, sliced
By now the pastry should be chilled. Roll it out between 2 sheets of cling film into a circle. Place on a greased baking tray and roll the edges up to form a small crust. Prick all over with a fork and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat some oil in a griddle pan. Fry the courgette slices and asparagus till cooked and transfer them to a plate. Now fry the halloumi slices until browned on the outside. Transfer these to the plate. Finally fry the mushroom slices until just cooked and put them on the plate (all should be kept separate from each other).
Now it's time to make the filling. Mix 100g low fat cream cheese with a dash of milk and mix into a thick but pourable emulsion. Add as many dashes of milk necessary to achieve this. Stir in some fresh black pepper, ground nutmeg and a pinch of dried herbs.
The pastry should have been taken out of the oven by now. Spread about 2/3rds of the cheese sauce on the pastry base, then cover with a layer of courgette slices. Fill in the gaps with the chopped asparagus stalks. Then create the next layer from halloumi. Pour the rest of the cheese sauce on top and spread it evenly. Now arrange the mushroom and asparagus tips on top in a fan pattern. Grate some cheese on top (I used cheddar, but others would work well too for instance mozzarella).
Now the tart is ready to bake for 25 minutes. Check on it every 10 minutes or so and bake longer if necessary.
I served my tart with salad leaves and a home-made Mediterranean tomato salsa (made from chopped tomatoes, red onion, shredded basil and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar). This light, tangy salad cuts through the heavy cheese tart and adds a little refreshment. You could serve this tart with any kind of potato and it would go very nicely, but you wouldn't need such a big slice because it is very filling.
Shortcrust pastry: Rub 55g cubed butter into 125g flour with a pinch of salt. Do this quickly so it won't be greasy, and stop when it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in 2 tablespoons of cold water with a knife to bind, and pack together into a ball (add 1 more tablespoon of water if necessary). Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 and prepare the following:
1 small courgette (zucchini) chopped into roughly 1cm slices diagonally
7 trimmed asparagus spears, chopped into two. Put aside the tips and dice the remaining 7 stalks into 1cm chunks
3 large mushrooms, thickly sliced
70g chunk of halloumi cheese, sliced
By now the pastry should be chilled. Roll it out between 2 sheets of cling film into a circle. Place on a greased baking tray and roll the edges up to form a small crust. Prick all over with a fork and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat some oil in a griddle pan. Fry the courgette slices and asparagus till cooked and transfer them to a plate. Now fry the halloumi slices until browned on the outside. Transfer these to the plate. Finally fry the mushroom slices until just cooked and put them on the plate (all should be kept separate from each other).
Now it's time to make the filling. Mix 100g low fat cream cheese with a dash of milk and mix into a thick but pourable emulsion. Add as many dashes of milk necessary to achieve this. Stir in some fresh black pepper, ground nutmeg and a pinch of dried herbs.
The pastry should have been taken out of the oven by now. Spread about 2/3rds of the cheese sauce on the pastry base, then cover with a layer of courgette slices. Fill in the gaps with the chopped asparagus stalks. Then create the next layer from halloumi. Pour the rest of the cheese sauce on top and spread it evenly. Now arrange the mushroom and asparagus tips on top in a fan pattern. Grate some cheese on top (I used cheddar, but others would work well too for instance mozzarella).
Now the tart is ready to bake for 25 minutes. Check on it every 10 minutes or so and bake longer if necessary.
I served my tart with salad leaves and a home-made Mediterranean tomato salsa (made from chopped tomatoes, red onion, shredded basil and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar). This light, tangy salad cuts through the heavy cheese tart and adds a little refreshment. You could serve this tart with any kind of potato and it would go very nicely, but you wouldn't need such a big slice because it is very filling.