Summer-autumn season is rich not only in fruit but also vegetables. Hence, today I offer you to try this really incredible vegetable tart (or quiche) that includes all the summer vegetables: courgettes, aubergine, bell pepper and onion. It combines soft baked vegetables balanced by creamy cheese-egg mixture and wraps them in a crunchy cottage cheese basis, mmm…! And seasoned with fragrant basil the pie becomes exquisite indeed! Upgrade your dinner!
You’ll need:
200 g cottage cheese
200 g chilled butter, diced
300 g flour
1 tsp salt
For filling:
200 g Feta cheese
2 eggs
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp sour cream
1 small aubergine, peeled, sliced
½ zucchini or courgette, sliced
1 bell pepper
1 onion, peeled, cut into 8 parts
30 g hard cheese, grated
2 branches of basil, only leaves
Salt to taste
Springform baking tin 24-26 cm
Preparation:
1. Put all the ingredients for the dough in a food processor and blend until lumps appear. If you don’t have a food processor, roughly grate butter and put it in the fridge for an hour. Then, mix all the dry ingredients, add the butter and pulverize the mixture with your hands.
2. Press the lumps together to make a ball, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
3. Put sliced aubergine and courgette in a bowl, salt them generously and let them rest for 10 min. Then, rinse the vegetables in cold water and dry them with paper towel.
4. Pour some oil in a big frying pan and put it on high heat. Slightly fry the aubergine and courgette both sides (only until they begin to brown!). Do the same with slices of onion.
5. Pre-heat oven to 190 o C.
6. Roll the dough out thinly and put it in the baking tin. Prick the bottom all over with a fork.
7. Put the parchment paper in the baking tin, and then put the beans or ceramic beads inside. Put the base in the oven and bake it for 10 min.
8. Put the bell pepper next to the tin in the oven and bake it simultaneously until slightly softened (15-25 min).
9. Meanwhile, put Feta cheese, eggs, sour cream, and garlic in a food processor and blend until homogeneity.
10. Take the tin out of the oven and remove the parchment paper and ceramic beads.
11. Take the bell pepper out of the oven as well and cover it with a lid or foil for 5 min. After this time, peel the pepper and cut it into strips.
12. Pour the cheese mixture onto the base, and spread the onions, aubergine and courgette evenly inside. Spread the strips of pepper atop everything and sprinkle the pie with hard cheese.
13. Bake until the tart turns golden brown, 25-35 min, depending on your oven.
14. Take the tart out of the oven and sprinkle it with basil. Serve immediately!
Bon appetite!