Caramelised Fennel & Onion Tart
Caramelised Fennel & Onion Tart
Finally the weather is warm enough to eat outdoors and fennel is at its best for these coming summer months. The sweet caramelised vegetables atop this creamy, egg free filling and crumbly seeded case is perfect for a light lunch al fresco, served on a bed of wild rocket with a zingy, citrus dressing. You could use the base and filling with other vegetables too such as roasted root vegetables or chopped peppers and courgette.
Ingredients
Base
- 175 g ground walnuts
- 100 g ground almonds
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground sea salt
- 75 ml coconut oil
- 3 tbsp filtered water
- 85 g sesame seeds
- ½ tsp orange zest optional
Topping
- 2-3 fennel about 600g
- 3 large onions sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic finely chopped or crushed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 orange
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 20 ml water
- 25 g fresh herbs such as parsley basil, chervil, finely chopped
Filling
- 50 g coconut oil
- 100 g gram flour
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 500 ml cashew milk
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C.
- Grease six round 10 x 2 cm deep individual tartlet tins.
- To prepare the fennel, cut off the fronds and the edge of the base root. Cut each bulb in half and then slice each half lengthways from tip to root.
- Place the fennel and sliced onions into a large pan.
- In a small jug, mix together the olive oil, salt and black pepper and pour over the vegetables.
- Sauté them over a medium heat for 10-12 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and stir it through. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the orange juice and cook for a further minute before adding the water.
- Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure all sides are coated in the juice.
- Meanwhile, to make the base, place the walnuts into a food processor and pulse until they resemble breadcrumbs.
- Add the ground almonds, spices, salt, melted coconut oil and a little water and pulse a couple of times. Add the sesame seeds and pulse a few more times until thoroughly mixed.
- The mixture should stick together when pinched between your fingers. If it does not, then add a little more water and pulse again.
- Divide the pastry mix between the tartlet tins, and press it down with your fingertips to make a crust covering the bottom and up the sides. Use a spatula to keep the edges even around the top. Prick the bottom of the cases with a fork.
- Bake the tart cases in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- If the base of the cases has risen in places, press them flat with a spatula before setting aside to cool.
- Once the fennel wedges are cooked and tender, uncover and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency and the fennel is golden brown.
- To make the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the gram flour and whisk vigorously. The mixture will resemble sand.
- Gradually add the cashew milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. The sauce should start to thicken and look smooth.
- Once thick, add the mustard, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon zest and juice and salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
- Divide the sauce between the tartlets.
- Top each tartlet with the vegetables pushing them into the sauce slightly and sprinkle with the chopped herbs and some sesame seeds.
- Serve with a rocket salad tossed in a dressing made from olive oil, wholegrain mustard, fresh orange juice, salt and pepper.
Notes
Source: Original recipe by Kelly Little, The Mighty Beetroot
The tart can be eaten warm or cold. To reheat, place in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 160°C.