We are thrilled to share this exclusive early recipe from chef and food educator Ceri Jones’s new book It Starts With Veg, out June 6th
Purple sprouting broccoli spears are the perfect length for individual-sized puff pastry tarts. A standard shop-bought sheet of puff pastry is an awkward size for a tart for two – it’s just a bit too big – so I recommend making three tarts and keeping the spare one for lunch tomorrow. Leftovers keep brilliantly, just warm through in the oven for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a simple side of dressed leaves.
This ricotta and olive tapenade tart combo will work with a host of
different vegetables; try asparagus, slices of slightly overlapping tomato,
slim wedges of glazed beetroot (see page 168), or roasted squash cubes.
SERVES 3 | TIME TO PREPARE – 35 MINUTES
FOR THE TART
320g/11½oz ready-made puff pastry sheet
1 egg, lightly whisked
200g/7oz purple sprouting broccoli
250g/9oz ricotta
zest of ½ lemon, plus extra for garnish
olive oil
salt and pepper
FOR THE TAPENADE
50g/1¾oz pitted Kalamata olives
1 heaped tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp lemon juice
Remove the pastry from the fridge 10 minutes prior to using and preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
Open out the pastry and divide into 3 even rectangles. Transfer these onto a lined baking tray. With a dinner knife, score a 1cm/½ inch inside border on each one, prick all over with a fork and give an egg wash. Bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes, until starting to puff up and turn golden brown. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. Prepare the broccoli by trimming, so the spears fit across the tart lengths. Slice any fatter spears into half lengthways. Blanch the broccoli by boiling in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 2–3 minutes until cooked but still firm (al dente). Drain, rinse under cold water until completely cold and leave to drip dry in the colander. Whisk the ricotta with the lemon zest and season to taste.
Put together your rustic tapenade by roughly chopping the olives, parsley and capers together on a chopping board (a food processor would create brown sludge). Scrape into a small bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Season to taste, bearing in mind the olives and capers are already salty.
When the pastry is cool to the touch, push down the centre of each tart if it has puffed up, and spread over the ricotta. Arrange the blanched broccoli spears on top in a head-to-toe fashion. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Put the tarts back in the oven for 10–15 minutes, rotating the tray halfway if your oven doesn’t cook evenly. The tarts will be done when the crust is browned, the broccoli crispy, and the base crisp.
Remove from the oven, dot over the olive tapenade, add a smattering of lemon zest and serve warm.
It Starts With Veg by chef and food educator Ceri Jones is out June 6th.
