Today's post features something light and refreshing. Filled with lots of summer vegetables and freshness of spring. Something which not only tastes good but is also good for you. Its a vegetable tart- an all out Mediterranean Tart- Super light and flaky olive oil crust paired with fresh basil hummus and tons of grilled veggies. Its like spring in your mouth!
The basil hummus lends a perfect touch of spring. The creaminess from the chickpeas pairs excellently with the freshness and the lightness of the basil. But any combination of flavor can be used.
I prefer a lighter crust compared to the heavy flavor of butter when it comes to a recipe like this. So I found this perfect recipe for an olive oil based crust which not only gives you that flavor and flakiness but is also guilt free! And who wouldn't mind using less butter when possible.
With a tart like this, the combination of veggies to be used is endless. Any and every vegetable would taste great. And every time you use different vegetables, you create a tart with new flavors and taste.
As summer heat increases with passing days, the craving of eating something light and refreshing increases also. And this holds true especially for lunch!. In a typical Indian household, the menu for lunch generally consists of an elaborate meal consisting of a vegetable, lentil, rice, roti/chappati and salad. Ours is no different. Everyday eating in this same pattern gets really boring. So I encourage you all to step out of the routine and try this light, colorful and super flavorful vegetable tart.
Grilled Vegetable Tart
Recipe adapted from ecurry.com
Ingredients:
For the Olive oil Crust
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 40ml of olive oil
- 30ml of very cold club soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
- Herbs (optional)
For the Basil Hummus
- 3/4 cup of cooked chickpeas/ garbanzo beans (kabuli channa)
- Handful of Basil leaves (according to the taste)
- 1 big clove of garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tahini
- Extra virgin olive oil (according to the taste and consistency)
- Salt
For Roasted Vegetables
- 1/2 eggplant
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 1 medium zucchini
- Olive oil
- 1 crushed garlic
- Salt
- Crushed Red peppers
Method:
For the Crust:
- In a bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and herbs.
- Whisk together club soda and oil until creamy for 2 mins
- Pour the oil and soda mixture into the flour and mix together with a fork until everything has been incorporated.
- Knead the dough gently on a floured surface until soft (Add more soda if needed to make the dough soft but not sticky)
- Avoid working with the dough too much.
- Roll in a single direction and shape the dough according to the preferred shape and size.
- Prick the rolled dough with a fork
- Bake it at 200C for 8-10 mins or until the crust is golden brown.
For the Hummus:
- Soak the chickpeas overnight and cook it the next morning in water. If you have a pressure cooker than cook the beans until 2-3 whistle. You can also use ready canned beans if available.
- Add the cooked beans along with the rest of the ingredients and mix it in food processor or mixer until it gets thick and creamy.
- You can adjust the consistency of the hummus by adding more or less olive oil.
For the Roasted veggies:
- Cut the veggies into a 1/4 inch pieces.
- Coat it with salt, crushed red pepper, olive oil and crushed garlic.
- Roast it in the oven at 200C until the veggies are tender.
Cool the crust. Spread the desired amount of hummus on the crust. Arrange the vegetables and sprinkle with some salt, crushed red pepper and olive oil. Bake it in the oven till warm.
