Eggplant, zucchini, caramelised onion and feta tart with brown rice and almond pastry

SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

The combination of the rice and almond crust and these wonderful summer vegetables nestling in custard is sublime.

PASTRY

¾ cup (120g) brown rice flour

1 cup (120g) ground almonds (see Maggie’s tips)

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cornflour

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 free-range egg, plus 1 free-range egg yolk

FILLING

⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 large red onion, thinly sliced sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ small (120g) eggplant, cut into

1cm dice

1 medium (120g) zucchini, cut into

1cm dice 100g good-quality feta

3 free-range eggs ¾ cup (180ml) cream

1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano

1 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Grease a 13cm x 35cm non-stick fluted rectangular tart tin with removable base.

2 PASTRY Place dry ingredients in a large bowl; whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil and eggs. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir until dough just comes together. Turn out onto a workbench and pinch off a walnut-sized ball. Keep this aside in case you need to patch any fine cracks after baking. Shape dough into a rectangle about 10cm x 20cm. Place pastry inside greased tart tin and press evenly across the base and up the sides. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden. Don’t be tempted to cook pastry too long or it will start to crack. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 185°C (165°C fan-forced).

3 FILLING Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium– high heat. Add onion and a large pinch of sea salt flakes; cook for 5-6 minutes until onion starts to collapse. Reduce heat to low; add vinegar. Cook for another 10 minutes. This long slow cooking will bring out the sweetness in the onion. Remove from heat; set aside.

4 Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wok or large saucepan over high heat. Add the eggplant; sauté for 4-5 minutes or until light golden and almost cooked through. Add the zucchini and toss for another 2 minutes or until tender. Season to taste, then pour into a sieve to drain off excess moisture. Stand to cool slightly.

5 Combine onion, eggplant and zucchini together; check seasoning. Scatter the vegetables evenly over the base of the tart shell; crumble feta over the top.

6 Whisk together eggs and cream; pour into the tart shell. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the custard is just set and the top is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

7 To serve, remove from the tin, scatter with chopped oregano and drizzle with a little olive oil.