16 Oct Cherry Tomato And Spinach Goats Cheese Tart With Oat, Almond And Spelt Crust

I dislike rolling out pastry so when i discovered this method i was hooked. You make the up mix and then press it into  your dish. If you need this to be gluten free use gluten free oats and doves farm gluten free flour mix or rice flour. A lovely tart to have with a mixed salad or coleslaw, you can vary the filling to what is in your fridge – courgettes and peppers work well too. We happen to have lots of home grown, semi ripe tomatoes which are lining my windowsills in an effort to get them to ripen. I used hard goats cheese which has a lovely slightly sharp creamy taste, perfect with the sweet tomatoes.

Pastry

100g ground almonds
100g oats
100g wholegrain spelt or gluten free flour
75g coconut oil
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Filling

250g very ripe cherry tomatoes
3 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
150g baby spinach
10 basil leaves finely shredded (save two for garnish)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp olive oil
1 generous tsp maple syrup
Himalayan salt and black pepper
4 large eggs, beaten
100g hard goats cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200C

Oil your flan dish approx 24cm diameter

Pastry: In your food processor , combine the pastry ingredients until they all come together – you might need to add a tiny bit more water – pinch the mixture and if it holds together it is ready.
Press into your flan dish with your fingers up the sides  (see photo).
Bake blind for 15 mins until it feels firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and leave aside.

Filling : Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan.
Add the tomatoes, shredded basil and the garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle on the maple syrup and saute them together for about 5 minutes until just starting to burst and wrinkle . Remove from the pan and set aside.Add the onion to the pan with another tbsp oil and saute till very soft and starting to brown. Remove and set aside.
Add the spinach to the hot pan, sprinkle with nutmeg and saute until very wilted and try to cook off as much moisture as possible.
Spread the onion out over the bottom of the pastry case, then the spinach followed by the tomatoes and garlic (see photo).
Pour over the beaten eggs and sprinkle on the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 3 to 40 minutes or until it is nicely browned and set. Decorate with the saved basil leaves.