Individual Summer Vegetable Tarts

I made these last week to take along to a get together hosted by Lydia Bakes.  We all have quite the sweet tooth so I thought something savoury would go down well to combat all the sugar we would be eating (check out the sweet Berry Tarts I made for the catch up too).
I made these Summer Vegetable Tarts from scratch, baking my own pastry cases, but you could easily buy some pre-made from the supermarket which would make these really quick and easy to whip up.  Also, feel free to change up the vegetable mix to include your favourites or what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
Pastry cases:
1 ⅓  cups flour
pinch of salt
100g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice cold water

Vegetable filling:
1 bunch asparagus
1 kumara, chopped into chunks
½ pumpkin, chopped into chunks
12 cherry tomatoes
4 – 6 Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
salt
pepper
200g haloumi cheese
25g feta, crumbled
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
12 small sprigs of rosemary

Method:
Pastry cases:
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt by pulsing the mixture in 2 second bursts.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix the egg with a tablespoon of water.  Add the egg to the flour mixture, pulsing again until just combined, adding the extra water if needed to bring the pastry together to forma soft dough.
On a lightly floured surface, shape the mixture into a ball.  Wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until firm.
Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Roll the pastry mixture out to about 2mm thick.  Cut out rounds from the pastry, about 6cm in diameter (I used a drinking glass for this).  Place the pastry rounds into the prepared muffin holes and press into place.  Prick the bottom of each pastry case with a fork.
Cut out squares of baking paper (or use muffin papers) and line each pastry case before filling each with uncooked rice or baking weights.  Place the prepared tin of pastry cases into the freezer for 5 – 10 minutes (or the fridge for 30 minutes) to become cool again and firm up.
Bake for 10 minutes.  Take the cases out of the oven and remove the paper and baking weights before returning to the oven for a further 2-5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Place the vegetables (kumara, pumpkin, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms) in a couple of roasting trays, coat the vegetables in the oil, dried herbs, and salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until tender. 
While the vegetables are roasting, cut the haloumi into slices, about 0.5cm thick and fry in a frying pan until lightly golden on both sides.
Once the vegetables been roasted and taken out of the oven to cool slightly, cut the vegetables (excluding the tomatoes) into small, little chunks (0.5cm pieces).  Crumb the feta cheese and mix it together with the roasted vegetables.
Place a piece of haloumi in the bottom of each pastry case.  Top with the roasted vegetable mix.
Beat together the egg and water.  Brush the egg wash over the vegetables in the tart cases.  Bake for a further 10 minutes.  Once out of the oven, top each tart with a sprig of rosemary and a cherry tomato.

Kumara and Bacon Mini Muffins

I made these Kumara and Bacon Mini Muffins a few weeks ago when we had a long weekend.  We were away with my parents ‘up North’ and I wanted something that I could snack on when I was feeling peckish.  Mum usually has chips and dip, along with crackers and cheese on hand, which I wanted to avoid.
The muffins had a nice savoury flavour to them and were delicious heated a little with a smear of butter (yeah, I could’ve just eaten the chips and dip).  I think they would also make a great snack to take to work or school in the lunchbox.  Mum reckoned they would be great made in a jumbo muffin tin (cooking times would differ) with a green salad for a lunch or light dinner.  Keep this recipe in mind for after Christmas too – you could swap out the bacon for leftover ham.

Makes 24.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups self raising flour
½ teaspoon rubbed parsley
½ teaspoon sweet basil
½ teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup grated cheese
2 – 4 rashers bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 cup milk
1 egg
30g butter, melted
1 cup mashed kumara (I used orange kumara, but whatever variety is your fave will be fine)
¼ cup sunflower seeds

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190°C.  Grease 2 x 12 hole mini muffin trays.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, parsley, basil, curry powder, sugar, salt, cheese and bacon.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and butter.  Add the whisked mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the mashed kumara.  Mix together until just combined.
Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin holes and sprinkle the sunflower seeds over the top.  Bake for 10 –12 minutes or until golden.

Lunchbox Bakes - Kumara and Bacon Savoury Slice

This is a really tasty slice and is easy to make.  It’ll go down a treat if you’re having a few people over for lunch or it would be great for dinner in summer with a simple salad.  I used golden kumara in mine, but I think after trying it that your typical red variety would taste better.  If you are not from New Zealand, you probably know kumara as ‘sweet potatoes’.  However, in New Zealand we call them kumara, which is their Maori name.  If you want some info about kumara history and the different varieties, the Kaipara Kumara website is a good quick read.

Serves 6 – 8

400g (2 medium) kumara (sweet potatoes) peeled and cut into chunks (I used orange kumara, but I reckon your typical red variety would taste better)
4 rashers rindless bacon, chopped coarsely
6 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 small tomatoes, sliced

Preheat oven to 200°C.  Line a 17cm x 27cm slice tin with baking paper, leaving an overhang on all sides.
Cook the kumara in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until just tender.  Drain and set aside.  At the same time, cook the bacon in a frying pan for about 5 minutes to brown.  Remove to cool.
Place the eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Stir in the kumara, bacon, cheese and parsley.  Season well with the salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.  Arrange the sliced tomatoes over the top.  Bake for 35 minutes or until set.  Cut into squares and serve warm or cold.

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