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Spring Vegetable Tart with asparagus, peas and olive oil pastry

Spring Vegetable Tart

An olive-oil pastry tart filled with asparagus, peas, spring onion and a lemon ricotta base.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean-Inspred, South African
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Olive Oil Pastry:
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 80 ml Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 60-80 ml cold water
For the Filling:
  • 250 g ricotta
  • 1 egg
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 2 tbsp Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 bunch asparagus woody ends trimmed
  • 100 g peas fresh or frozen
  • 3 spring onions sliced on the angle
  • 1 small baby marrow ribboned with a peeler
  • 20 g parmesan finely grated
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Make the pastry: whisk the flour and salt together in a bowl. Pour in Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil and most of the water, and mix with a fork until the dough starts to come together, adding the rest of the water if it still looks dry.
  2. Bring the dough together with your hands into a smooth ball, wrap it, and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Roll the pastry out between two sheets of baking paper and line a 24cm tart tin, trimming the edges.
  4. Prick the base with a fork, line with baking paper and baking beans, and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes, until pale gold.
  5. Reduce the oven to 180C. Whisk the ricotta, egg, lemon zest, garlic and 2 tbsp Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil together, and season well.
  6. Spread the ricotta mixture over the base of the tart shell.
  7. Scatter over the peas and spring onion, then lay the asparagus spears and baby marrow ribbons on top, arranging them so they sit evenly across the surface.
  8. Scatter over the parmesan and a light drizzle of Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the filling is set and the vegetables have started to colour at the edges.
  10. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Storage: keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature or warm gently before serving. Make-ahead: the pastry can be made a day ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge, or blind-baked and left in the tin overnight. Freezing: the baked, unfilled pastry shell freezes well for up to a month; we wouldn't freeze it once filled. Serving suggestion: a simple green salad alongside is really all this needs.