This recipe was taken from Jamie Oliver's Christmas edition of his magazine. The red onion tart was featured in an article on party appetisers entitled 'on the cheap'. Apart from the frugality of the ingredients which is always appealing, I liked the idea of caramelising onions until they literally fall apart. Spread on top of a crispy puff pasty base and topped with tangy, salty feta, it seemed a good choice for the party. Recipe at bottom of post.
It was whilst 'taste testing' the savoury tarts that I first came upon the heavenly combination of mushroom and white truffle butter. The two little tarts I had made were so good I ate one and gave the other to Neil, (hence no photographs of them). I consoled myself with the loss of the tarts by vowing to make a larger version in the form of a sausage roll type savoury, which would be cut into small slices. I added a little red wine in a spontaneous moment and almost ruined the subtle earthy and floral tastes with the too potent tang and bitterness of the wine, but after allowing it to mellow for a while, it regained some of it's former delightfulness. (I have, however, left the wine out of the recipe).
Wanting to use up some of the produce living in the fridge, I also made a second version of the savoury roll, this time Mexican inspired with some dried oregano, chili powder and cumin.
I was inspired by a recent trip to a small tapas restaurant where some of my fellow diners feasted on chard and pork empanadas. This homage included chard from the garden, pink kale, onion and bell pepper.
Recipe at bottom of post
Recipe : Red onion tart
Adapted from Jamie magazine
enough for 2 small tarts or 1 large (depending on the size of your baking tray)
2 large red onions, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter
a splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 block of bought puff pastry
flour for rolling and dusting
a handful of feta cheese (about 1/3 cup)
2 tsp dried oregano
Heat the oil and butter over a medium heat in a large pan and add the onions. Stir well, cover and let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are very soft.
Remove the cover from the pan and continue to cook, again stirring often until the onions have almost melted and become golden and glossy. Add the balsamic vinegar and season well.
Pre heat the oven to 425oF.
Roll out the pastry to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. Cut in half or leave whole if you have a large enough baking sheet to hold the piece whole.
Grease and flour one or two (depending on size) baking sheets. Lay the pieces of puff pastry on one or two sheets and spread the onions over the top evenly. Top with the feta and sprinkle over the oregano.
Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until the feta is slightly melted and golden and the pastry is cooked. As you can see from the image above, I used feta on one piece and grated Cheddar on the other, both were really good. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack to crisp. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.
The remains of the day: spring rolls, red onion tart, savoury tarts, salmon wellingtons (bought) and savoury rolls.
Recipe : Savoury rolls 1 :Mushroom & white truffle
half a block of puff pastry
1 cup mushrooms, chopped finely
1 tbsp porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for several hours
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp white truffle butter
salt and pepper
a few drops of mushroom ketchup (optional)
Heat the oil and truffle butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Stir well and let saute for about 20 minutes until soft and very fragrant. Remove the porcini from the water, reserving about 2 tbsp and chop finely. Add the mushrooms and reserved liquid to the pan, along with the ketchup, if using. Stir well. Season and let cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
Roll out your pastry to a rectangle about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place a line of the mushrooms down the middle and carefully roll up. Bake on a greased and floured baking tray for about 20 minutes at 425oF until golden brown and cooked. Remove to a wire rack and cut into elegant slices when cooled.
Savoury roll filling 2: Mixed vegetables with chili and oregano
1/2 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped finely
3 Swiss chard leaves, stems removed and sliced, leaves finely shredded
a handful of kale, shredded
1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
a squeeze of lemon juice
Fry the onion, bell pepper and chard stems in the oil and butter over medium heat in a frying pan. When softened slightly add the other ingredients. Stir well and saute over gentle heat until the kale and chard is wilted. Squeeze over the lemon juice and taste to check seasonings. Remove and follow the instructions for the roll above.
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