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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.




food & dining
Showcasing Spring Produce
S Keri White
pring has sprung, and markets
are bursting with local,
seasonal produce. This means
fresh asparagus, peas, herbs, ramps,
fiddleheads, baby greens and glori-
ously juicy berries.

In the last week, I celebrated spring’s
bounty with both sweet and savory,
once at breakfast and once at dinner
in delicious presentations.

The savory dinner option was an
offering from my neighbor “I,” who has
bestowed her culinary gifts upon me
in the past. I am truly fortunate to live
next to a culinary-obsessed individual
who happily shares her creations with
me when she has a surplus. Her risotto
showcased asparagus, peas and basil
to great advantage.

The sweet breakfast option came via my
daughter, who returned from a morning
power walk craving pancakes. But ever
healthy and fitness oriented, she was not
going to dive into the carb bomb offered
by traditional pancakes. No, instead she
concocted a wholesome blend of oats,
banana, peanut butter and various seeds
to create the flapjacks and topped them
with fresh berries. I was impressed by how
tasty, fluffy and flavorful they were and
planned to file them in my “breakfast for a
crowd” stack of recipes.

Neighborly Risotto | Dairy
Photos by Keri White
Serves 4
Note: My neighbor recommends
blanching the asparagus and cooking
the peas then adding them to the
risotto near the end of the cooking
process; this ensures that the vegeta-
bles are cooked to perfection and not
mushy. 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme,
chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 cup arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable broth
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed,
chopped into 1-inch pieces and
steamed for 2 minutes
1 cup frozen peas, cooked
2 cups spinach (chopped if large
leaves) ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Handful of fresh basil leaves,
coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small saucepan, heat the broth
and wine to a simmer.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil
with the onions and thyme. Sauté over
medium until fragrant. Add the rice and
stir until it’s coated. Add one cup of
simmering broth and stir constantly until
it is absorbed. Add another cup and stir
until it’s absorbed. Add ½ cup, add the
spinach and continue stirring and adding
hot broth in ½ cup increments until all
but ½ cup of broth is used.

Add the asparagus and peas and the
final bit of broth. Stir until absorbed.

Taste to ensure the rice is cooked; it
should be cooked through, soft but not
mushy, with a teeny bit of firmness at
the very center — think al dente pasta.

If it is not cooked to your liking, add
another ¼ cup of hot broth or water
and stir until absorbed.

Remove it from the heat, add the
lemon zest, juice, Parmesan cheese
and salt and pepper to taste, then add
the basil and stir. Serve immediately.

In a blender, mix the
oats, cinnamon and seeds.

Blend until the ingredients
are finely ground into a
coarse, flour-like texture.

Add the bananas, eggs,
soy milk and vanilla; blend
again until the texture is
consistent. Heat a large skillet over
medium/medium-low and
add the oil.

When the oil is heated,
ladle ½ cup portions of
batter into the pan. When
bubbles appear on top
of the pancakes, flip (this
takes 3-4 minutes). Cook
the other side for another few minutes
and, when done, remove it from the
pan. Repeat the process with the remain-
ing batter and serve the pancakes
Healthy oat-banana pancakes
with fresh berries and maple syrup, if
desired. Keri White is a Philadelphia-based
freelance food writer.

Healthy Oat-Banana Pancakes
| Pareve
Serves 2-3
My daughter used soy milk, but any
non-dairy milk can be substituted.

1½ cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
2 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Oil for cooking
2 cups fresh berries
Maple syrup, honey or agave, if desired
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