Rustic Vegetable Tart

With Elizabeth Walkowicz

This simple, rustic tart recipe makes a delicious appetizer or side dish and for vegetarians a meal. Garden fresh vegetables would be superb. It uses zucchini, plum tomatoes, sweet onions, pesto and goat cheese. Many tarts look more like a pizza but this rustic version is more like a savory pie with an opening in the center. Although any pie crust will work if you use the Rustic Crust recipe the tart will be perfect. (Tip: Use plum tomatoes because they have less water and they will not make the dough too soggy.)

Ingredients

4 plum Tomatoes
6 oz. goat cheese
2 sweet onions, sliced
3 Tabl. Olive oil
¼ cup pesto
1 zucchini squash, sliced in ¼ inch rounds
1 tart dough (see recipe below)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sauté the onions in the oil until slightly caramelized. Put them in a strainer to drain and allow them to cool.
3. Brush the zucchini rounds with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake for about 10 minutes until tender.
4. Make the tart dough and chill 20 minutes! (see recipe below)
5. Slice the tomatoes and lay them on paper towels to drain. Salt and pepper them.
6. Roll out the tart dough into a large round. Place it on a parchment lined sheet pan.
7. Spread the pesto in the middle of the dough leaving about 2-3 inches around the outside of the round of dough.
8. Place the tomatoes, then the onions and zucchini. Then top with the goat cheese.
9. Pull the sides of the dough towards the middle but leave a small whole in the middle of the tart. You will be making a rustic looking tart.
10. Bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes, turn oven down to 375 and bake until golden brown.

Rustic Tart Dough

Yield: Two tart doughs

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn meal
½ lb. cold butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/3-1/2 cup water, ice cold
1 egg

Instructions:
1. In a food processor place the flour, cornmeal, butter and salt.
2. Pulse until the butter is the size of peas.
3. Mix together the 1/3 cup of water and the egg.
4. Drizzle the water over the flour mixture and pulse gently until the dough forms a ball. Note: If it is dry add a little more cold water.
5. Gather into a ball and wrap in saran wrap and chill till ready to use.

Note: You can refrigerate extra dough for up to a week.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Elizabeth Walkowicz, 2009.

Instructor, Eurostoves Culinary Center Teaches baking and pastry classes at Eurostoves class center in Beverly, MA. Has studied in Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, Canada and Napa Valley. Graduate of Culinary Institute of America.