Queen of Tarts Recipe

Ingredients

1 mug of wholewheat flour
½ mug of plain white flour
2 tsp baking powder
A good pinch of sea salt
¼ mug of olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ mug nearly boiling water (i.e. fairly warm but not scalding hot)
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes or swap with a veg of choice*
A splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced (optional)
A handful of fresh herbs (basil, rosemary or thyme are nice)
Something salty and morish - cheese, bacon, olives…

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Method

1. Heat your oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

2. Get your tart fillings ready. You can use pretty much any thing you fancy. For these, we piled some thinly sliced onions cooked in a little oil until softened with some grilled slices of bacon (snipped into bite-sized pieces) and some halved cherry tomatoes. There are lots more ideas below.

3. Once all your filling ingredients are prepped, mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil. Gradually fold in the water till it starts to form a dough.

4. Gently knead the mix till you have a smooth, playdough-like dough. We did this in the bowl. Add more flour if it’s too sticky, more olive oil if it’s too dry.

5. Divide the dough into 4 (for larger, main course tarts) or 6 balls (for smaller, starter-sized tarts). On a floured surface, roll one of the balls into a flat circle, about 1cm thick. Gloss with a little oil. Use your fingers to roll or bend the edges inward to form a rustic crust).

6. Carefully transfer the tart in the hot pan to crisp up the base. Tidy up the crimp if needed. Cook till the base is golden brown, piling the filling in the centre as it cooks. If topping with green leaves, save them for later (adding them once your tart has crisped up in the oven).

7. Transfer the semi-cooked tart to a large baking tray. Continue to crisp up the base and fill the remaining tarts.

8. Pop in the oven to bake for 10-15 mins or till the sides of your tarts are fully cooked through and your tomatoes are tender or any cheese dotted on top has a nice golden crust.

9. Finish the tarts with a little olive oil, any greenery you wish to add and a pinch of pepper.

10. They’re gorgeous hot or cold.

11. Here are a few delicious filling ideas: * Sautéed mushrooms, fresh ewe’s cheese and watercress. * Pan-fried butternut squash, chilli jam, crisped up halloumi and mint. * Pan-fried rounds of courgettes, toasted almonds, pitted black olives, crubled feta and rocket.