Pastry, Cheese, Vegetable and Herb. A formula for modern life.

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Hello reader one and reader two, how are you today?

For my first ever recipe on my new bloggy, I would like to share one of my basic formulas for a delicious mid week dinner. I guess this belongs to the Donna Hay led assemblage school of cooking, but hey, that woman is wealthy for a reason. These tarts require minimal effort, minimal time and minimal ingredients, and are sure to impress your love-friend (or like-friend, even).

It goes a little something like this:

1. Thaw out a piece of store bought puff pastry.

2. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then top with a cheese of your choice (semi-spreadable ones are nice, like ricotta or danish feta, or if you're feeling wealthy perhaps goats cheese or Gorgonzola.). Leave a little gap of 1.5cm around the edges so they rise up and create a border all nice like.

3. Scatter that with a vegetable (roasted pumpkin, par boiled potato slices, marinated artichoke, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, semi-sun dried tomatoes, fennel, or even pear or fig).

4. Then scatter that with something herby. Go for tough herbs like thyme, rosemary or sage. Herbs that can withstand a little roastage. Or, alternatively, go fresh (basil, oregano, parsley, mint or a little mound of dressed rocket) and scatter it on after cooking. And maybe some walnuts or pine nuts, too.

5. Pop in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, then cut into squares and serve with an elegant salad of mixed leaves.



Last night I made two tarts. One based on one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time: feta, pumpkin roasted with a dash of olive oil and chili flakes, and sage leaves, topped with a little shaved Parmesan before serving. The other was based on a Donna Hay recipe: goats cheese, potato and rosemary. People (well, Tom) were impressed! Another of my favorites, and something I used to make way before I even knew old Donna existed was simply fresh ricotta, marinated artichokes (from a jar) and a fine grating of Parmesan.

Other combination I think would work marvelously include: ricotta with a little lemon zest mixed through topped with asparagus spears and lemon thyme; caramelised onion, thyme and feta; shredded boccincini, cherry tomatoes and freshly scattered basil; Gorgonzola, pear and walnuts; feta, zucchini, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a scattering of mint.... I won't go on.

Also consider making little miniature versions with only one piece of vegetable, a cube of cheese and a sprig of herb for ultra easy, cute appetizers!

Or go sweetly sweet. Mix some Cinnamon, sugar, orange zest, liqueur, almond meal or nutmeg through ricotta and top with halved apricots, rhubarb, sliced pear, apple, jam, nutella, nuts, berries, shaved chocolate. Oh my, the possibilities are without end.