For the last few months, the menu in my home has been governed by the produce in the garden. Currently there is a slew of eggplants producing fruit ranging from a deep purple color to lavender and white striped and others a beautiful bright green shade. Eggplants transform cuisines – from authentic Szechuan, such as Kung Pao Chicken, Smoky Honey Miso Eggplants, Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant Salad, Moroccan Beef Eggplant, Spicy Pesto Eggplant Parmesan and my favorite, South East Asian Chicken & Eggplant Panang Curry. This Eggplant Tart goes to the Mediterranean with the spicy Calabrian paste & parmigiano reggiano from Italy and a creamy feta cheese from Greece. And it has only a handful of ingredients: eggplants, pastry, spicy chili paste, feta cheese, parmesan and garnished with roasted bell peppers and arugula.
Jump to RecipeThis simple eggplant tart is easy to make with very few ingredients but it delivers. Eggplants are bit like the chameleons of the food world, taking on any flavors absorbed into their creamy, meaty flesh. A pastry lover, this tart is a favorite of my eggplant recipes. Its rustic simplicity is the sort of food I love to make and eat – washed down with a peppery, old shiraz.
EGGPLANT TART
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 lb small eggplants, sliced
- Pinch sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- 13.2 oz ready-made puff pastry* refrigerated section
- 3 Tbsp Calabrian chili paste*
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 roasted bell peppers, torn capsicum
- 2 small handfuls arugula rocket
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2, large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the oil, eggplant slices, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on one of the baking sheets. Roast for 30 minutes or until softened and golden-brown.
- Unroll the pastry and carefully place it on the second baking sheet. Lightly score a rectangle in the pastry about 1 inch from the edge all the way around the pastry taking care not to cut all the way through the pastry. Prick the pastry in about 12 or so places with a fork.
- Spread the chili paste on the pastry, avoiding the outer edges. Sprinkle with about three-quarters of the feta cheese and half the parmesan. Arrange the eggplant slices over the cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining feta. Bake on the bottom rack for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden-brown and crisp.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before topping with bell pepper strips, arugula, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and the remaining parmesan. Cut into 6 or 8 pieces to serve.