Wednesday 4 June 2014

Cauliflower & Broccoli, Be My Tart The Vegan Way


This recipe came to me the other day when I was making some vegetable pancake-y, flat bread type of things. They were delightful on all levels apart from I wanted them thicker. So I made thicker batter but then they looked messy in the frying pan and took longer to cook in the middle so the edges got too brown and hard.
"Hmmm." I said. 
(Am I the only one who talks to myself when I'm cooking and baking? I hope not, I'd rather we were all mad than just me.)

So anyway, I suddenly realised that the batter I was using for my pancakes, would create a similar texture to quiche. Not that I wanted to create a 'vegan quiche', but once made it did look a bit like a quiche...and I couldn't really call it a pie...so I thought I'd go with tart, and a crust-less little tart at that.


This savoury tart is high in protein due to the use of chickpea flour and has a ton of veggies crammed into it. There's hardly any fat and the way the spices tingle and mingle over your tongue makes this one little healthy slice of yumminess.




I used onion but leeks would also work wonders, in fact, I'm already thinking up a garlic-y leek and mushroom tart....mmmm with the garlic blended right into the batter with chili...
But since I had some tomatoes that needed using, I thought onion would be the better shout for this recipe.
I love how the chickpea flour batter means the tart holds its shape really well, no falling apart and no crumbling. This batter is perfect if you want to make larger tarts because it slices so well. Although little mini curried tarts would look damn cute.



A slice (or two) of this is perfect with a salad or sweet potato wedgies, great to take with you to a BBQ or picnic.
Be My Tart Cauliflower & Broccoli Tart

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

3 oz Chickpea flour
Large handful of spinach
Small handful of cauliflower
Small handful of broccoli
2 Cloves of garlic
1 Small onion
1 Tomato
2-3 Mushrooms
Coconut oil
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cumin
1-2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chopped chili

If you're not afraid of a bit of heat then by all means add as much chili as you like, even add a pinch of cayenne pepper to give it a real kick!

Lets get roasting, whisking and eating!

Grease a 6" lose bottomed cake pan with coconut oil

Firstly, slice the cauliflower and broccoli in thin slices, so they kind of look like little flat trees.
Pop them into a little baking dish along with the garlic, whole and still in skin, with a tbsp of coconut oil and some salt. Roast them until they're starting to brown but are still slightly crunchy.

Meanwhile....

Finely chop the onion, set aside.
Slice the mushrooms and tomato into thin slices. Set aside.
Roughly chop the spinach, set aside.

Now, when the cauliflower/broccoli is done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Squeeze the garlic from the skin and chop up.

Now, to make the batter, simply add enough water to the chickpea flour so that it has the same consistency as double cream.
Now stir the chopped onion, garlic and spinach into the batter, along with the chili, coriander, turmeric, basil and cumin.
Season the batter well with salt and pepper.

Now pour a thin layer of batter into the cake pan, make sure it reaches all the edges.
Now add a layer of mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli.
Pour another layer of batter over the top.
Add some more mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli.
Pour the remaining batter into the pan and then poke any remaining pieces of veg into the batter.
Lay the tomato slices over the top and sprinkle with rock salt.

Bake at 200 c for about 15-20 minutes, until the top looks browned and a cake tester comes out clean.

This tart is great eaten hot from the over or cold the next day. When it's cold it can be sliced very thinly and used as a sandwich filling!




Happy baking! x


















No comments: