Sway from tradition this festive season and spread the table with dishes loaded with summer produce. For this vegan tart early summer vegetables are grilled until sweet and flavoursome. Then layered onto a golden crust filled with tart cashew aioli. The beauty of this tart is that the different components can be prepared ahead of time and put together just before serving.
Great served with a selection of salads such as a quinoa tabbouleh, roast beetroot and rocket and minted new potatoes.
Serves 6-8
Vegetable Tart:
1 cup white spelt flour (gluten-free use: ¾ cup brown rice flour + ¼ cup tapioca flour)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour or wholemeal spelt flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
100g coconut oil at room temperature
2-4 tablespoons cold water
1 red peppers, cut into 1cm slices
2 zucchini, cut into 1cm slices
1 large red onion, cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
basil leaves to decorate
Cashew Aioli:
1 cup cashews, soaked for minimum 3 hours
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
About 1/3 cup water
Method
Preheat oven grill. Grease a 12 x 35cm rectangular (or 25cm round) loose-bottom tart tin with coconut oil.
Combine the flours, ground almonds, oregano, chia seeds and salt in a food processor bowl. Scoop in the coconut oil and pulse the machine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until the dough comes together into pea-sized balls. Tip directly into the prepared tin and press evenly into the base and sides. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Combine the prepared vegetables and olive oil in a bowl and toss to combine. Season well. Spread in a single layer on a baking tray and place directly under the hot grill (or grill on a hot barbeque). Cook until tender, about 12-15 minutes, turning the vegetable once for even cooking. Set aside to cool.
Turn oven down to 190C. Remove the tart base from the fridge, line with baking paper and fill with baking weights (or dried beans). Blind bake for 10 minutes then remove the paper and weights and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden. Cool completely on a rack.
Dollop the cashew aioli into the tart base and spread out evenly. Top with the grilled vegetables and garnish with basil leaves. Serve extra aioli on the side.
To make the cashew aioli:
Makes about 300ml
The trick with this plant-based aioli is to blend it until silky smooth. Even using a 15-year-old blender this was achievable with a little patience.
Drain and rinse the cashews in a sieve then place in a food processor or blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth adding 1-2 tablespoons extra water if required to loosen. This will take about 2-3 minutes, scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. Check the taste adding extra seasoning or lemon juice.
Nicola Galloway is the author of four cookbooks including Homegrown Kitchen. She teaches cooking workshops around NZ on sourdough bread making, fermentation and home preserving. Find more recipes on her award-winning website www.homegrown-kitchen.co.nz