Ingredients

Method

For the crust:
• 185 g flour
• 185 g chilled butter, cut into bits
• 185 g mature Cheddar, grated
For the roast vegetables:
• 1 medium cauliflower, broken into large florets
• 8 baby marrows, whole
• 8 whole yellow patty pans
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 whole brown mushrooms, halved if large
• 3 - 4 T olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Thyme, a few sprigs
For the filling:
• 6 extra-large free-range eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 250 g ricotta cheese, crumbled
• 100 g feta, crumbled
• 125 g mature Cheddar, grated
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 - 3 T Parmesan, finely grated
• Watercress, for serving

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. To make the crust, process the ingredients in a food processor to form a dough. Press into a 30 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick and freeze while preparing the roast vegetables and filling.
3. Arrange the vegetables on a large baking tray. Moisten with the olive oil. Season with salt and tuck in sprigs of thyme. Place in the oven. Remove the mushrooms after 10 minutes. Roast the remaining vegetables for a further 20 minutes, or until just cooked and starting to char. Season with pepper and allow to cool.
4. To make the filling, whisk the eggs with the cream. Stir in the cheeses. Add a little seasoning.
5. To assemble, arrange the vegetables on the tart base. Ladle over the cheese mixture and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes, or until just set. Serve with watercress and drizzle with olive oil.

Cook's note: It’s easy to sell a vegetarian meal when it’s made like this: heaps of veggies roasted until sweet, then covered in a cheesy filling and baked to rustic, golden brown perfection.

Discover more vegetable tart and quiche recipes here.