Fresh Plum Tomato and Basil Tart with Olive Oil and Garlic Crust

The toms are all starting to ripen. Wooooohoooo! Nothing like having too many home-grown toms, I say. I'm plotting how to use the babies and think the recipe below will come first. It comes from the incredible Practically Vegetarian (Random House, New York, 1994) cookbook by Josceline Dimbleby. 'Lissa bought me this book in Las Vegas, NM and I have to confess I was a bit sniffy about it -- still suffering from the prejudice that so many older vegetarian cookbooks seem to think part of eating meat-free is that you must suffer and only eat dour bean rissoles and the like. This book (and then later Plenty, by Ottolenghi) helped reinvent vegetarian food for me -- it can be exciting and you don't feel like you're missing the meat. There are a number of recipes from Practically Vegetarian that have won a "'Lissa Loved It" and I promise to post them. I thought this a good starter as tomatoes are coming into season. Oh and BTW, Practically Vegetarian is so-called because it has recipes that include fish and chicken -- Tarragon Chicken being a particularly memorable one -- but there aren't that many. Here goes the tart...I hope you like...

Name: Fresh Plum Tomato and Basil Tart with Olive Oil and Garlic Crust

Book: Joceline Dimbleby, Practically Vegetarian (Random House, New York, 1994)

Date cooked: 26th of August, 2007.

Comments: "Roasted chilies with Nina today after which she made epic "stacked" chicken enchiladas. This recipe kept the great food roll going -- will this cookbook's brilliance ever end? Pastry, in particular was outstanding. Very, very special and 'Lissa loved it!

Recipe:

• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 finely chopped large garlic cloves
• 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 kg plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 thinly sliced large garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 25 g butter
• 12 julienned fresh basil leaves
• 6 fresh sage
• salt and pepper
• to garnish fresh basil and sage leaves

Preheat oven to 200º C
Sift flour and salt in a bowl.
Put garlic in a saucepan together with the oil and place pan over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and carefully add the water.
Pour this mixture gradually into the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to form a dough.
Using your fingers, press pieces of dough firmly and evenly to the sides and base of an ungreased 24 cm. diameter, loose bottomed flan case.
Prick base lightly all over with a fork and bake for about 20 minutes or until crust is crisp at the centre.

Skin the tomatoes.
Slice each tomato into 6 slices.
Put olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add tomato and garlic and cook for 20 minutes until you have a thick soft mixture.
If tomato produce a lot of juice, cook until reduced.
Add castor sugar and butter and stir for a few minutes.
Remove from heat and season.
Stir in the basil.
Fill the crust spooning the tomato evenly.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over high heat and add the
sage leaves and cook until crisp but not brunt.
Place in the centre of the tart.
Serve warm or hot garnished with sage and basil leaves.

Serves 6