Summer tomato and pesto tart recipe

Details

• Cuisine: English
• Recipe Type: Main
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Serves: 8

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°C/gas mark 5. First make the pesto. Scatter the pine nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven, turning occasionally to make sure they don't burn, for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown, then remove and set aside to cool.
2. Finely chop the basil and mix with the toasted pine nuts and olive oil, then, using a pestle and mortar, pound them together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a little more olive oil if you think it's necessary.
3. Alternatively, add the toasted pine nuts to a food processor and blitz to a fine-breadcrumb consistency. Add the basil and seasoning and pour over the olive oil, then blitz until you have a smooth paste.
4. Next, halve the onions and slice into thin half-moons. Trim the ends from each tomato and slice into rounds approximately 5mm thick. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the onions. Sauté over a low heat for about 20 minutes or until completely softened but not browned, adding the sugar and seasoning with salt and pepper halfway through cooking.
5. Meanwhile, roll out the pastry and fill a 23cm diameter tart tin. Spread the caramelised onions over the base of the tart and then add small dollops of the pesto, spaced evenly apart, on top of the onions. Layer the tomatoes into the tart in a circular pattern, allowing them to overlap slightly.
6. Drizzle with the remaining oil, season well with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for around 5 minutes before carefully removing the tart from its tin and cutting into slices.