Loaded Vegetable Tart

Every day is still a work day, but after I finished work.  I put my lap top away and find other ways to distract myself.  Ideally, I would like to read a book recommended by some colleagues, but after staring at the computer all day, the last thing I want to do is read more words. So I find comfort flicking through my cookbooks and looking for recipes and inspiration as to what I can cook at home with what we have to hand. Then I find my way to the kitchen and cook.

Today its this Loaded Vegetable Tart.

I say loaded as I piled the puff pastry with way more roasted vegetable than needed.  This was not a pick up and eat with your hands tart, it was very much a knife and fork one. I could have just been sensible and kept the additional roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes and carrots for another meal, but no I go in heavy handed. Still no harm, it was all eaten.

The only let down was the sliced tomatoes on top, they were pretty flavourless. I look forward to growing and eating my own.

Loaded Tart with Sundried Tomato Spread
Serves 4 with a side of salad
Ingredients
For the topping
2 medium sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
Half Butternut squash, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 red onion, sliced into wedges
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sheet of read rolled puff pastry,
70g hazelnuts, chopped
For the sundried tomato spread if you don't have pesto
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic clove crushed
120g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tomatoes sliced or a punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
Method
For the sundried tomato
Blend all the ingredients and set aside.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200oc.
Put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, add the squash and carrots and red onion and drizzle with the oil.
Roast for 45 minutes.
When vegetables have been roasted, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Lay the pastry sheet on a baking sheet.
Then spread the tomato paste, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.
Arrange the vegetables in a pile in the centre of the pastry and spread out evenly.
Scatter over the sliced tomato or cherry tomatoes on top.
Bake the tart for 25 - 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden, in the last five minutes scatter over the chopped hazelnuts and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Serve with a green salad.

Adapted from Adele McConnell The Vegan Cookbook