Provençal Roasted Vegetable and Feta Slice

Method
Prep:1hr  ›  Cook:30min  ›  Ready in:1hr30min 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). To make filling, put the red and yellow peppers and the courgettes in a roasting tin, drizzle over the oil and turn the vegetables to coat. Sprinkle over the garlic and thyme sprigs, and roast for 15 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes to the tin and roast for a further 10 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
3. Roll out the pastry dough thinly on a lightly floured surface to make a rectangle about 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in). Use the pastry to line an 18 x 25 cm (7 x 10 in) non-stick baking tin that is 3 cm (1¼ in) deep. Reserve the pastry trimmings.
4. Prick the bottom of the pastry case. Bake it ‘blind’ for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and beans, and bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden.
5. Fill the pastry case with the roasted vegetables, spreading them out evenly. Scatter over the feta cheese.
6. Roll out the pastry trimmings and cut into thin strips. Lay the strips in a criss-cross pattern over the filling to make a lattice. Brush the pastry strips with the milk and sprinkle them with the poppy seeds, if using.
7. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the pastry lattice is golden brown. Serve the tart hot or cold, cut across into thin slices or squares.

Some more ideas

Instead of feta, use Caerphilly or Lancashire cheese. * Make a Puy lentil and goat's cheese slice. For the filling, soften 1 chopped onion in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 1 crushed garlic clove and 2 tsp finely chopped, fresh root ginger. Add 200 g (7 oz) Puy lentils, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, about 400 g, with the juice, and 250 ml (8½ fl oz) vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 250 g (8½ oz) peeled and diced potatoes and cook for 10 minutes, then add 125 g (4½ oz) frozen peas. Bring back to the boil and cook for a further 5–10 minutes or until the potatoes and lentils are tender. Add a little more stock if needed. Stir in 50 g (¾ oz) chopped watercress and season to taste. Spread evenly in the pastry case and scatter over 100 g (3½ oz) crumbled goat's cheese. Make a lattice top with the pastry trimmings, twisting the strips. Brush with milk and sprinkle with 1–2 tsp fennel seeds, if liked. Bake as in the main recipe.

Plus points

Olive oil pastry is lower in saturated fat than shortcrust made with butter. Most of the fatty acids in olive oil are monounsaturated, which are thought to play a part in lowering high blood cholesterol levels. * Feta cheese has a medium fat content. It is salty, so if you are watching your sodium intake soak the cheese in milk for 15–20 minutes before use (discard the milk). * Peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. Their beta-carotene content depends on the colour of the pepper, with red peppers having the most and green peppers the least.

Each serving provides

A, C * B12, E, calcium * B1, B6, folate, niacin, copper, iron, potassium, zinc