Susie Drage
Music, Art & Cookery
The Cookery Book
Tomato and Spinach Tart with Parmesan Rice Pie Crust




Tomato and Spinach Tart with Parmesan Rice Pie Crust
Serves 6
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 - 25 minutes
Today, I took a look in my fridge and larder and decided to concoct this lovely easy tart.
I do make quite a few tarts with lots of different pastry recipes and every now and again, I will choose to use instead either rice or quinoa, which makes a surprisingly excellent tart base. It has a lovely cheesy taste and you could even add a few dried herbs, if you wish.
Ingredients
For the Tart Base
-
200g cooked rice, or quinoa mix
-
¼ cup mixed seeds (optional)
-
2 Large Eggs
-
100g Grated Parmesan Cheese
For the Filling
-
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped
-
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
-
6 fresh red tomatoes, cut into small quarters
-
3 rainbow peppers, de-seeded and sliced
-
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
-
Sea salt
-
Freshly ground black pepper
-
One bag of spinach leaves, washed and thoroughly patted dry
-
Half to one cup of lightly toasted pine nuts
Method
-
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
-
Cook the rice or quinoa mix according to manufacturer's instructions in boiling salted water.
-
Transfer the cooked rice to a large clean bowl.
-
Add the mixed seeds, grated Parmesan - a few dried herbs if you like, and the two eggs and mix thoroughly.
-
Take two flan dishes, the larger should be about 11 inches or 23 cms and divide the rice mixture pushing it up the sides to form a support for the filling.
-
In a separate roasting tin, spread out the pine nuts and allow to turn golden - about 5 minutes - but watch carefully as they will start to turn quickly.
-
Bake in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until firm and golden, remove and set aside.
-
Meanwhile, too make the filling: Take a large pan and add some olive oil and heat.
-
Add the minced garlic, together with the finely sliced onion plus a little water. Stir thoroughly, cover with a lid and turn down the heat and allow to soften - at least 5 - 7 minutes.
-
Now add the sliced peppers and quartered tomatoes, stir well, cover and allow to cook for a further ten minutes or so until the peppers are softened and the tomatoes of cooked down a little, but not lost their shape.
-
At this stage, if the tomato mixture is too liquid, you can thicken it with some thickening granules, potato starch or you could use a little cornstarch (mix with a tiny amount of water beforehand) or plain flour.
-
Now add the spinach and allow it to barely wilt.
-
Transfer the mixture to the cooked rice crust in both flan dishes and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on to the top.
-
If you wish, you can even add more Parmesan either grated or as shavings for extra garnish.
-
Serve with a green salad.