Picnic Tart

From issue #6.
Photography by Photography by Nick Tresidder.
Picnic Tart
The great outdoors, some delicious treats to pack into the picnic basket

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches spinach, washed
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons pesto
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large red capsicum, roasted, peeled and sliced
100 grams mozzarella, grated
100 grams gruyere, grated
75 grams salami, chopped
400 grams puff pastry
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180ºC with a baking sheet inside.

Wash, trim and wilt the spinach, without extra water, over high heat. Cool, squeeze dry and roughly chop. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over a high heat and add the chopped spinach. Cook quickly, to drive off any remaining moisture. Mix with the pesto and set aside. Heat the oil in a small sauté pan. Add the onion, garlic and salt and cook until soft. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the capsicum. Set aside. Combine the cheeses in another bowl.

Cut the pastry in half and roll out each piece to fit a 35cm x 11cm tart tin with a removable base. Line the tin with one piece of pastry, allowing the pastry to hang over the edge. Distribute the spinach mixture evenly over the bottom then sprinkle with half the cheese. Lay the salami slices on top then spread with the onion and capsicum mixture. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and lay the second piece of pastry on top. Trim
the pastry so the bottom layer is slightly longer than the top. Turn the bottom edge up over the top, folding once more to seal well.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the tart on the pre-heated baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the base is cooked
through. Leave to cool before wrapping. Serves 6