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Savory Tomato Tart
Jessica Grann
S avory tarts are an incredible
way to showcase seasonal
vegetables any time of the
year. For this recipe, I used sautéed
onions, fresh oregano and basil,
beautiful heirloom tomatoes and fresh
mozzarella cheese.

It has a Margherita pizza vibe, so
people are always happy to see it on
the table.

The tomatoes really shine in this
recipe. I use various colors and sizes
to make it more visually interesting. If
you don’t love fresh mozzarella, then
I suggest using feta or goat cheese in
its place.

This is a fun recipe because once
you get the basics down, you can
get super-creative with your pairings,
changing up the herbs, vegetables
and cheeses. I recommend store-
bought pie crust to make life easier
and keeping fresh pots of herbs on
hand, which is much more economical
than buying herbs at the grocery store.

I serve this for brunch with salad,
but it’s also a beautiful appetizer and a
lovely dish to take to a party.

Ingredients: 1 store-bought pie crust
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Half a large, sweet onion, sliced thin
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ cup fresh herbs, divided; I used a
mix of basil and oregano
2 cups tomatoes, sliced
3 ounces fresh mozzarella, or
cheese of your choice
¼ teaspoon sea salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Set your oven to 400 degrees F and
place the oven rack in the middle slot.

Thaw the pie crust according to
its instructions. It should still be cool
to the touch when you unwrap it. I
suggest running a rolling pin over it a
few times to make sure that it fits the
size of your pan.

Gently lift the pastry and place it over
28 JUNE 15, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Savory tomato tart
the pan, then use your fingers to press
the pastry into the corners and edges.

Use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife
to trim any pastry that flows over the
edge of the pan. If you don’t have
a tart pan with a loose bottom, you
can use a 9-inch pie plate for the
pastry, but only pat the pastry about
halfway up the side of the pie plate.

My dairy tart pan is square, so I roll the
dough as much as I can, trim the edges
and use any extra dough to build
up edges where the dough cracks
or looks sparse. With square pans,
the corners usually need a little extra
work. Just take a little strip of pastry
and use your fingers to smooth it into
any cracks. Pastry is pretty forgiving. If
it tears, you can almost always repair it.

Pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes
at 400 degrees F. Pre-baking is an
important step to ensure that the
center of the tart is not soggy from the
vegetables and that the dough doesn’t
remain raw after baking.

Photo by Jessica Grann
Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of
olive oil over medium-low heat for
10-12 minutes — just olive oil and
onions, no salt yet.

While the onion is cooking, mince
the garlic, slice 2 cups of tomatoes
and tear the fresh herbs into pieces.

The more natural and organic it looks,
the better.

Tear or cut 3 ounces of fresh mozza-
rella. I like the mini balls for this size
tart. Once the onion is soft and starting
to brown, remove it to another dish
and add 2 more tablespoons of olive
oil to the pan with the garlic and ¾ of
the fresh herbs. Sauté on low for 1-2
minutes, until fragrant, but be careful
not to burn the garlic.

Remove the pastry and turn the oven
temp to 425 degrees F.

Pour the garlic and herb oil over the
crust, using a pastry brush to spread it
evenly and into the corners and edges
of the pan.

Spread the onions evenly over the
crust and sprinkle them with salt.

Arrange the tomatoes as you please,
sprinkle them with more salt and bake
for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove the tart quickly from the
oven, sprinkle it with cheese and put
it back into the oven for 3-4 minutes,
until the cheese starts to melt.

Allow it to cool for 10 minutes before
serving. Garnish with the rest of the fresh
herbs. Mozzarella cheese has very little
flavor on its own, so I usually check to
see if it needs a little more salt. If you’re
using a different cheese, you may not
need much added salt, if any.

This makes 4 nice-size portions for a
light meal paired with a salad. I usually
cut 9 squares if I’m serving it as an
appetizer or on a mezze table. Enjoy
and bless your hands! ■
Jessica Grann is a home chef living
in Pittsburgh.