Summer has arrived early at WordPress with this week’s challenge Summer. New York City has seen rain all week-long with some very heavy downpours. But, that hasn’t stopped the loads of zucchini and tomatoes available at roadside vegetable carts in my neighborhood. I am sure everyone planning a barbecue party tomorrow on Memorial Day is hoping the rains don’t spoil the fun. I bought a bag each of zucchinis and tomatoes and, of course, had no clue how I was going to use it. Ratatouille…nah…. soup….nah….zucchini bread?? What about the tomatoes? So, out came the tart pan and the result was a vegetable tart that looked stunning and tasted even better – just simple and tasty veggies that were delicious with the roasting intensifying the flavors.
What about the pepper relish? That was an afterthought when I saw the pepper relish sitting on the counter. That is my latest discovery and I’m addicted to it. It is a perfect relish for sandwiches and I even added it to a marinade (that recipe is for another time). I could simply dig the spoon into the jar and enjoy the stuff. I guess I must return to the store and buy all the Pepper Relish I can find before others discover this delicious stuff.
It was very simple to assemble as you can see from the pictures. I used 2 medium-sized zucchinis, 2 medium-sized tomatoes, 2 onions, and 2 potatoes – all medium-sized. All the veggies were washed and sliced evenly into rounds. I thawed a store-bought pie crust and blind baked it for a few minutes and set it aside to cool. You can assemble them however you like I guess, I just assembled it in circles. Drizzled extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground coarse black pepper. Snipped off some fresh herbs from the backyard and threw in a few sprigs of oregano and thyme. Into a 425-degree oven went the tart pan, and the tart was done in about 45 minutes.
This tart is very light and healthy unlike the cream/milk and cheese laden heavier vegetable tarts. Of course, this is a basic tart and will work well with mushrooms, carrots, parsnips, etc.
Then, the best part of the tart, Pepper Relish. I thinned out a few teaspoons of the relish with warm water and drizzled it on the warm roasted veggies. The warm veggies absorbed the peppery goodness. I did not return the tart to the oven because I thought the pepper may spew hot smoke – and I might have to save the situation. Well, the tart was delicious and devoured as soon as it was cool enough to handle.
Healthcare Updates 