Escalivada and feta cheese puff pastry

Patry, author of Sabores&Momentos , brings us a classic in the form of a puff pastry tart: the combination of escalivada with feta cheese is excellent, resulting in this tart being a very easy recipe to prepare and that everyone will like.

I love autumn, it is a season that inspires, that invites you to cook, to prepare warmer dishes and to have the oven on at home at all hours! Today I bring you a simple recipe that you can prepare in no time with the escalivada ready. Also, while the peppers and aubergines are cooking in the oven, we can be enjoying the little ones or reading a book. It is what I like most about cooking in the oven, the kitchen does not get dirty and while he works we relax; that yes, with an eye on our plate, we are not going to burn!

In this case, instead of shortcrust pastry or coca dough, I wanted to use a puff pastry, one of those with extra butter that you can find in some large supermarkets and that gives our cake that crunchy touch once it's baked. .

Those of you who follow me and are already getting to know me, know that I am an unconditional fan of savory tarts and quiches, because in addition to being versatile, they are a simple and delicious dish for when you find yourself in trouble where you have to improvise a meal or dinner with what you have in the fridge: friends or relatives who come and stay, snacks at friends' houses whom you want to surprise with a plate, Sunday lunch for which you are looking for a simple and light first course... dozens of situations in which almost all of us see ourselves at some point, and to show off with little effort, a salty tart is the best wild card!

Rectangular mold with De Buyer removable base and Pallarès carbon steel knife

To do this, nothing better than this fantastic rectangular mold from the De Buyer firm . Since I've had it, it's the mold I've used the most for my cakes, both salty and sweet. It's amazing quality that you can see when you hold it, and since it's non-stick I don't even have to butter it! I simply line it with the dough directly and once baked, after a few minutes, I press underneath and its removable bottom and I get my perfect cake without having to scratch with a knife or spatula to unmold the cake. The presentation could not be more elegant - you saw a table by itself, don't you think?

What do you want to start making salty or sweet cakes to try and find your favorite? Well, let's go for today's recipe!

INGREDIENTS

1 puff pastry
2 red bell peppers
1 medium eggplant
1 white onion
extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
crumbled feta cheese

ELABORATION

We begin by preparing the escalivada. The most common option to prepare them is usually baked or on a grill . It is true that the iron grill is my favorite, because the skin of the peppers and aubergines is toasted on the surface but the pulp is not burned, and it remains with a flavor and texture that the oven does not give us. But realistically, the oven is our great ally for most of us when preparing this recipe.

We preheat to about 200 ºC and in my case to get that grill effect, what I do is bake them on the grill option. Wash the peppers and aubergine and peel the onion.

Place the vegetables on a baking tray, prick the aubergine several times with the tip of a knife so that it does not explode with the temperature and spray everything with a little oil. We put in the oven (preferably in the middle tray and at 180º). After approximately 25 minutes, we turn each of the pieces around and leave for another 30-40 minutes or until we check that they are done.

Remove from the oven to a saucepan or low pot , cover and reserve for about 20 minutes to facilitate the task of peeling. Remove the skin and the seeds from the aubergine and the peppers, and remove the first layers of the onion. It helps to have a bowl of water handy to rinse your hands when the skins and seeds stick to your fingers.

Bérard olive wood chopping board

Once peeled, we cut them into strips and place them in a bowl. Add a little salt and oil and reserve until we go to make our cake. We can also cover with a transparent film and reserve in the refrigerator until the next day.

To prepare the tart, preheat the oven (if it is not still hot from having previously prepared the escalivada) to 180º. We cover our mold with the puff pastry and making sure to reinforce the walls of the mold with a double layer of puff pastry using the cuts from the dough roll. Prick it with a fork and cover with the well drained escalivada so as not to soak the dough too much. In my case I put more pepper because at home we love it, but you can share the onion, eggplant and pepper equally.

Add a few flakes of fleur de sel on top, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a stream over the entire length of the cake and spread the crumbled Feta cheese with your fingers over the entire surface. We put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until we see that the cake is done and the puff pastry is golden brown.

Once that time has elapsed, we take it out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. We unmold and to serve we can add some dressing (salt and oil) if we want it and if not, just as it is and accompanied by a salad you will love it.

On the left, a porcelain mold for a round cake by Revol and a Pallarès carbon steel knife