We remember the greatness of Martin Luther King and his vision of peace and cooperation among all peoples, as he shared from the Bible: "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid. "
100 days: Bring the hostages home.
Roasted Vegetable Tart with Pesto
Foodie Lit
“I had no answers for Elta. None that would be truthful, anyway. At least not now. But I knew that we needed a home. My daughter needed to live in a place where she wouldn’t have to live in constant terror. A home where she wouldn’t have to be fearful that murderers might come for her in the middle of the night. Where people didn’t hate her because of an accident of birth.”
So thinks Shaindel, a main character in Sherry Ostroff’s excellent historical novel, The Wall At The Sugar Factory. A pogrom opens the novel, murdering Avram, Shaindel’s husband, along with most men in her village. Women and girls were raped and murdered, homes looted and burned, and fear was in the air. Shaindlel hoped that a mother and her child would not be targets. But she knew better.
Shery's other books reviewed: Caledonia, Mannahatta, Expulsion. All are fabulous for book clubs and Sherry is available for remote talks to your club!
Roasted Vegetable Tart with Pesto
Yield: 1 tart, about 6 pieces for main or 9 pieces for appetizer..
1 small zucchini, unpeeled
1 small yellow squash, unpeeled
½ red bell pepper, cored and cut into ¼-1/2” slices
½ yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into ¼-1/2” slices
½ green bell pepper, cored and cut into ¼-1/2” slices
½ small red onion, cut into ½” slices
½ small yellow or white onion, cut into ½” slices
½ sweet potato, unpeeled, cut into ½” slices
1 carrot, halved and cut into thin slices
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used multi-colored ones, but any will do.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, sliced lengthwise into several pieces
3-4 tablespoons tomato pesto sauce*
1 puff pastry, defrosted but cold
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Prep all vegetables. Preheat oven to 400F (204 C)
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Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place vegetables on parchment paper in groups of same vegetables.
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Drizzle all vegetables with olive oil. I use a picnic container for ketchup, with top cut very small. It’s perfect for this drizzling! Sprinkle salt and grind pepper over veggies.
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Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and reserve.
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While veggies are roasting, take 1 defrosted puff pastry out of refrigerator. Place a piece of parchment paper big enough on which to roll out puff pastry. Roll out puff pastry, smoothing out seams and thinning out equally.
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With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, run a line about ¼ “along the edge of the puff pastry. Do not cut all the way through. Prick bottom of pastry with fork several times.
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Place vegetables attractively on the puff pastry. Add green onions slices.
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Reduce temperature to 375 F (190 C) and for about 30-35 minutes until crust is golden.
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Remove from oven and spread pesto sauce on top while the tart is still warm.
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Serve immediately. This was unbelievably fabulous!! If you are seving later, serve at room temperature or warm in a preheated 300F oven for 10 minutes or so.
#Vegan #Vegetabletart #Appetizer #Main
*Tomato Pesto: The Tomato Pesto I used is from Dessert Magic, a boutique Israeli company specializing in spreads, jams and sauces.
Expandthetable suggestions
Parmesan: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on before you place in the oven to bake.
Pesto: Brush a homemade Pesto sauce on top
Meat: Brown ground meat of choice. Place on puff pastry and place vegetables on top. Bake as directed in oven.
While it’s cold in so much of the northern hemisphere, it’s warm right by my oven when I’m baking. This Roasted Vegetable Tart with its fresh veggies reminds us that spring is not so far off. The Jewish holiday of Tu B’shvat next week is called the birthday of the trees and calls on us to celebrate and conserve nature. This delicious tart with roasted vegetables does just that! All scraps from this recipe either went into my compost or my stock bag. Nothing was wasted. (And not to brag—I did a load of wash this morning and then hung it on the line to dry!) As I sampled the square I cut for the picture, it just melted in my mouth. Good any time of year, it's a great meal for 1 or many. The tart freezes well. This tart is also incredibly versatile, making it a great option for lunch, dinner (add French Onion Soup), or even as a party appetizer.
