Recipe: Rustic courgette and pine nut tart

Lemon and courgettes are the perfect pairing in this tart. Photo / Fresh Media

This rustic tart is so simple to make and it tastes like summer. A lemony ricotta base is topped with fresh courgettes and crunchy pine nuts. Add a couple of salads and you’ve got the perfect meal for casual entertaining with friends.

Rustic courgette and pine nut tart

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

250g ricotta cheese

100g grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

½ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 medium courgettes

35g pine nuts

1 Tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with some parchment paper.
2. Lay the two sheets of puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface so they overlap slightly on one edge by about 1cm. Moisten the underside of the overlapping edge slightly with a little water, then roll the edges together lightly to form a single rectangular piece of pastry.
3. Combine the ricotta, half of the grated Parmesan, egg, lemon zest, basil, chopped garlic, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl.
4. Lay the sheet of puff pastry on to the lined baking tray. Spread the ricotta mixture over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border around the edges.
5. Slice the courgettes into ribbons with a vegetable peeler and arrange on top of the ricotta mixture.
6. Fold the edges of the pastry up and slightly over the courgettes to form a border for the tart. Drizzle the courgettes with the olive oil and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and the pine nuts over the top.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and serve warm or cold.

– fresh.co.nz