I recently found a recipe on the BBC for a similar dish and decided to use it as a base for my own dinner time creation! This tart is very easy to make, packed full of flavours, like basil, and has that cheesy comfort we all need sometimes! Feel free to add different kinds of meats such as pancetta. You can also switch out the meats entirely for a cheesy salmon tart or even take out the meat and fish all together and substitute them for vegetables like roasted pepper and cauliflower for a vegetarian alternative.
Serves 4-5 | Total Time: 40 minutes | Easy
Ingredients:
1 Pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
100g soft cheese
Olive Oil
2 Spring onions chopped
2 Large leeks, sliced
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1 tsp Oregano
3 Garlic cloves, crushes
7 Button mushrooms
80 grams chorizo sausage, sliced
250 grams Bacon lardons (can also use diced bacon or pancetta)
70 grams Grated mozarella
Small handful of fresh parsley
Pepper and salt to taste
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ gas mark 6.
2. Unroll the puff pastry and place onto a baking tray or plate
3. Gently spread the soft cheese over the base the puff pastry, remembering to leave space around the edges (see image below). Add some pepper over the top and put to the side
4. Prepare the leeks by cutting off the bottom, slicing them in half and then slicing horizontally across. You should end up with with them looking similar to the image below
5. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large pan and slowly fry the leeks and spring onion until they soften. Add salt and pepper to taste
Caution your use of additional salt in this recipe as the bacon, cheese and chorizo will already have some that will come through in the taste of the final product.
6. Once softened, remove from the heat and stir the oregano and basil leaves into the pan. Then place in a bowl to the side
7. If your pan needs more oil add this in before gently frying the mushrooms and garlic on a medium heat so the garlic does not burn
You want to make sure in these pre-frying steps you remove the water content from the vegetables, especially the mushrooms, so when cooking in the oven they do not make your pastry soggy.
8. Once cooked, add your leek mixture back into the pan, along with the bacon and chorizo and combine everything together. Taste and adjust for seasoning remembering my above warning about the salt levels.
If your bacon or chorizo is frozen make sure to also fry them (but not fully cook) before as so to prevent any water leaking into the pastry
9. Next, evenly place the mixture across the pastry base. Add the cheese and parsley over the top and bring the pastry edges slightly inwards.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and pastry is golden. Serve and enjoy!
This dish is so comforting, full of cheesy goodness and delicious flavours! When reheating place it in the oven for a few minutes as a microwave will leave the pastry soggy. You can also use a different cheese for the topping such as cheddar or emmental - make it truly your own! Send me your pictures and let me know how you find the dish and any changes or tricks you found useful!
Enjoy and happy cooking!
Natasha
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