Rustic Vegetable Tart with Super-Flaky Pastry

Elevate a humble bake to new heights with this recipe for a rustic vegetable tart, featuring a wonderfully flaky, buttery pastry. This versatile dish is simply perfect for a sunny bank holiday picnic, a light lunch, or served alongside your favourite soups and salads. Its free-form, rustic charm means there’s no need for perfection—just fresh ingredients and a little love. Let’s guide you through creating this beautiful and delicious centrepiece.

Ingredients

For the Super-Flaky Pastry:

• 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup (113g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water

For the Vegetable Filling:

• 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
• ½ cup (75g) crumbled feta or goat cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Prepare the Pastry: In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse 5-7 times until the butter is the size of small peas. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of ice water and pulse until the dough just begins to come together. If it’s too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not overmix.
2. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, gather it into a ball, and flatten it into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Prepare the Filling & Preheat: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large bowl, toss the sliced zucchini, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and red onion with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper until everything is lightly coated.
4. Assemble the Tart: On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out the chilled dough into a rough 12-inch circle. Don’t worry about perfect edges. Slide the parchment paper with the dough onto a baking sheet.
5. Arrange the vegetable mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle the crumbled cheese over the vegetables.



6. Fold and Bake: Gently fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling, pleating as you go to create a rustic border. Brush the folded pastry crust with the beaten egg.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown and the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized.
8. Let the tart cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Note: The following values are estimates per serving, assuming the tart is divided into 6 servings.