- 1
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 medium eggplant (aubergine), sliced lengthwise*
- 1 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into long strips
- 5 medium tomatoes
- 2 medium red shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2/3 cup pitted black olives, chopped
- 1 sheet (12-ounces) puff pastry, thawed if frozen
- ground black pepper
- salad leaves to serve, optional
Preparation
Step 1
COOK'S TIP:
(*I like zucchini and mushrooms better.)
Modern varieties of aubergine (eggplant) no longer contain bitter juices that must be removed before cooking by salting. However, if you have time, it is still worth doing this because it helps to prevent them from soaking up large amounts of oil during cooking.
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the sunflower oil with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the eggplant slices and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Drain on kitchen paper.
2 Add the pepper strips to the oil remaining in the pan, turning them to coat. Cover the pan with a lid or a sheet of foil and sweat the peppers over a moderately high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pepper strips are soft and flecked with brown.
3 Slice two of the tomatoes and set them aside. Place the remaining tomatoes in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 30 seconds, then drain and peel them. Cut them into quarters and remove the cores and seeds. Chop the tomato flesh coarsely.
4 Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until softened but not browned. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook, for a few minutes, until just softened. Stir in the white wine and basil and season with black pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked rice and black olives.
5 Arrange the tomato slices, the aubergine (eggplant) slices and the peppers in a single layer on the base of a heavy 12- inch, shallow ovenproof dish. Spread the rice and tomato mixture evenly on top.
6 Roll out the pastry to a round slightly larger than the diameter of the dish and place on top of the rice, gently tucking the overlap down inside the dish.
7 Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and risen. Leave to cool slightly, then invert the tart on to a large, warmed serving plate. Serve in slices, with some salad leaves.
VARIATION
Courgettes (zucchini) and mushrooms could be used as well as, or instead of, the aubergine and pepper. Alternatively, you could use strips of lightly browned chicken.