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Perfect for long lazy lunches, this Mediterranean summer vegetable tart is made with a crisp, rough pastry shell, brimming over with sweet tomatoes, salty olives, and crunchy peppers, with just a hint of chilli. The whole thing is complimented by my zesty lemon cashew ricotta.

My veggie garden is blooming... or should that be booming? It's got to the point now where we just can't eat everything it's producing fast enough, and I really need our neighbours to come and take some of that produce off my hands.

Fortunately, our friends, Emilia and Ioacob are of the same opinion, so half of the onion glut has now found a home with them. And in return, a not inconsiderable amount of Ioacob's fine home-made wine* has made its way into my tummy.

Heheh!

*There's actually no such thing as bad Romanian wine**. Tru fakt.

**When amato mio and I first met, he asked me what my favourite wine was - I said it was a Pinot Noir from the foothills of the Carpathians... little did I know that 15 years later, we'd make a home there.

Speaking of which...

When we first moved to Băița, it was a culture shock - far more so than when we went to live on the other side of the planet. But we've come to realise that our neighbours are among the most kind and friendly people we've ever met. It took a bit of getting used to, having people wander in and out of our garden, and there were a few misunderstandings but now we find there is contentment to be had when we just go with the flow.

Everything works out well in the end.

Even when people graze their cows in my garden.

Like my tarte tatin and tomato, basil, and buckwheat soup, this Mediterranean summer vegetable tart is almost exclusively made with produce from my garden. And as with them both, this is such a simple recipe.

It's really just a case of making a pastry shell (if you don't want to do that, you can always use ready-made pastry dough or buy a ready-baked pie crust... no one is judging here!), filling it with a whole bunch of summer veggies and herbs, and then bunging it in the oven for 15 minutes.

For the lemon ricotta, you can either make your own, or add some lemon juice and zest to some store-bought, such as this one from Valsoia.

It really is as easy as that!

Mediterranean Summer Vegetable Tart

Is...

full of nutrition (Vitamin A 46%, Vitamin C 166%, Calcium 4%, Iron 14% RDV)
packed with protein and fibre
sweet
salty
tangy
easy to make
so delicious

Of course, you don't have to have it with anything - on its own, it's just as scrumptious!

Buon appetito!

Tell me about your favourite savoury summer bakes!

📖 Recipe

Mediterranean Summer Vegetable Tart

Print Rate

Course: lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Makes (slide to adjust): servings

Calories: 437kcal

Author: Nico

Ingredients

For the pastry:

300 g c.2 cups wholemeal flour, plus a little more for dusting (note 1)
150 g c.5¼ oz vegan butter or margarine, cut into cubes
dash sea salt
6 tablespoon cold water

For the filling:

300 g c.10½ oz baby plum tomatoes
2 medium bell peppers note 2
100 g c.3½ oz stuffed green olives
50 g c.2 oz kalamata olives
50 g c.2 oz black olives
small bunch fresh basil leaves only, torn
a few sprigs fresh oregano leaves only
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
dash sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus a little extra
a few sprigs fresh savory note 3

For the lemon cashew ricotta:

75 g vegan ricotta
1 lemon juice and zest

For finishing:

¼ teaspoon Chilli flakes
a few fresh sorrel leaves torn

Instructions

Make the pastry:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6), and line a 25 cm x 20 cm (10" x 8") baking tray or 25 cm (10") round pie dish with silicone parchment or a silicone mat.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and salt, and then rub the butter or margarine into the flour mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. (note 4)
Add the cold water, and mix everything together with a fork until you have a soft dough.
Lightly dust your work surface, turn the dough out, and gently roll out until it fits the pie dish/baking tray.
Transfer to the pie dish, prick the bottom of the dough, line with silicone parchment paper, and weigh down with some baking beans (or dried beans!).
Bake in the centre of the oven for around 20 minutes, until the pastry is firm, and has turned a deeper brown colour.
Once cooked, remove from the oven, remove the parchment and baking beans, and set aside to cool a little.

Prep the filling:

Cut the tomatoes in half and put into a large mixing bowl.
Remove the seeds and pith from the peppers, and cut into long slices. Place into the bowl with the tomatoes.
Add all of the olives to the bowl, along with the basil, oregano, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper.
Mix together with your hands, making sure everything is coated.
Pile everything into the pie crust, and scatter the sprigs of savory over the top.
Return to the centre of the oven, and bake for 15 mins or so.

For the ricotta:

Mix the lemon juice and zest with the ricotta, and set aside.

To finish:

Once the tart is done, remove from the oven, and sprinkle over the chilli flakes and torn sorrel leaves.
Serve with a spoonful of lemon ricotta and your favourite salad.

Notes

Wholewheat flour.
I used one red and one white but it's entirely up to you which ones you use.
You can use rosemary instead of savory, or even thyme.
My mother-out-law has a pastry blender, which I use when I visit her - it's a great little gadget, especially if you're like me, and don't like getting stuff under your fingernails. I keep meaning to buy one for myself!

Nutrition Facts

Mediterranean Summer Vegetable Tart

Amount Per Serving

Calories 437 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Sodium 812mg34%

Carbohydrates 46g15%

Fiber 7g28%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 9g18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe?Do mention @yums0me and/or tag #yums0me - I'd love to see how yours turned out!

DisclaimerMeasurements in parenthesis are approximate; it is beyond the scope of yumsome to be able to provide pinpoint-accurate ingredient quantities for every type of measuring utensil. As a guideline however, I make the assumption that: