GLUTEN-FREE CAPONATA TARTS
These little Caponata Tarts are designed to make a very welcome appearance at a cocktail party or any other stand-up gathering. Drink in one hand. Delicious bite-sized flavour-bomb in the other, that’s it.
The tart cases can be made well ahead of time, to your own favourite pastry recipe if you like.
And the caponata filling, bursting with Mediterranean flavours, keeps extremely well refrigerated.
Make it when you can. Bring it to room temperature. Spoon into tart cases. Serve.
Jan
CAPONATA TARTS
Makes 24
Heat oven to 190°C and have a couple of trays of small tart tins at the ready.
Make a batch of Revenge Cream Cheese Pastry.
Divide into 2 and roll out each half between 2 sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 2mm.
Using a suitably-sized cutter for your tins make circles of pastry and plop each one into the cups of the tart tins. Press gently into each form. Re-roll leftover pastry and repeat.
Cook tart trays for 10 minutes then turn the tins around. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until pastry is nicely browned. Cool in the tins and store in an air-tight container until needed.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer, you could use our recipe for Gluten-free Tiny Tartlet Cases which are dairy and gluten-free.
Caponata
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1cm slices
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 stick of celery, trimmed and finely diced
1 small red pepper, flesh trimmed and cut into a small dice
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
½ teaspoon harissa paste
3 tablespoons finely crushed tomatoes (polpa)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon baby capers
30 gm green olives, pitted and diced
2 teaspoons caster sugar
Sea salt and black pepper
30 gm golden raisins, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Parsley to garnish
Heat a cast iron hot plate. Brush eggplant slices lightly with a tablespoon of the olive oil and grill until starting to brown. Brush tops with oil and turn over. When just cooked, leave to cool, then dice and set aside.
Heat remaining olive oil in a frypan, add onion and celery and cook, stirring for a few minutes to soften.
Add red pepper, paprika and harissa and cook for 5 minutes. Then add crushed tomatoes and vinegar, along with capers, olives, sugar, seasoning, golden raisins and reserved eggplant.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until mixture is glossy and fully amalgamated.
Add lemon juice and stir.
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Use two teaspoons to fill the tart cases when ready to serve. Top each little tart with parsley. Perfect.