Rainbow Vegetable Tart

Step 1

Prepare the pastry at least an hour before you want to start making the tart. Add the flour, salt and cubed butter to a bowl and use your fingers to rub together until fine crumbs form. Alternatively, blitz in a food processor with a dough blade - much easier!

Step 2

Add the water 1 tbsp at a time, kneading or pulsing in the food processor until the dough just comes together. Press in to a ball, wrap in foil or plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 180c/350f.

Step 4

Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough. Flour a rolling pin and roll out to around 1/2 cm thick in a circular shape. Carefully pick up and lay over your tart tin.

Step 5

Use your fingers to gently press down in to the tin's shape. Cut off excess but leave around 1" overhang to allow for shrinkage. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans or dried legumes. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5-10 until mostly cooked through but not too golden.

Step 6

Meanwhile, use a mandolin, peeler or a slicing attachment for a food processor to slice the vegetables in to thin ribbons. The carrot ribbons can be left whole, but I would recommend cutting the aubergine and courgette ribbons in half lengthways to make them thinner. Your slices should be roughly 1" wide so that they aren't too tall for the tart.

Step 7

To prepare the filling, whizz the ricotta, lemon juice and basil together in a food processor and season with salt and pepper to taste. Or finely chop the basil and mix together.

Step 8

Once the tart base is cooked, add the ricotta filling and spread out evenly.

Step 9

To start the vegetable spiral, roll together one slice of carrot, aubergine and courgette and place it in the middle of the tart. Continue to tightly spiral vegetable ribbons around the centre, alternating as you go. This while take a while! Continue until you have reached the edges of the tart.

Step 10

Drizzle the tart with olive oil and bake for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and slightly crisp.

Step 11

Serve warm or cold with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.