Green Tomato Ricotta Tart

End of the greenhouse season brought some green (unripe) tomatoes that needed using up. One option is to let them ripen on the counter, for 2 or 3 weeks. Another option is embracing their greenness and make something beautiful out of them.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 150 gr flour
• 1 tsp (5 gr) salt
• 60 ml olive oil
• 30-60 ml cold water (as needed)

For the ricotta

• 250 gr ricotta
• 1 small red onion, minced (about 50-60 grams)
• salt & pepper, to taste

For the tomatoes

• 5-6 green tomatoes, about 550-600 gr
• salt & pepper
• Parmesan shavings, for finishing

Needed

• Large colander
• Loose bottomed tart tin, 24cm diameter
• Rimmed cookie sheet
• Plastic film
• Rolling pin

Instructions

Make the pastry

1. In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. Then add the olive oil and mix with a fork until crumbly.
2. Add a couple tablespoons of water at a time, and mix with the fork, until the dough comes together. You might need less or more water, depending on your flour and humidity.
3. Once the dough comes together (it will be a bit crumbly), turn it onto the counter, and knead it a couple of times. Pat it into a disk, wrap in plastic film, and chill in the fridge for 40ish minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 180C fan (or
5. Once the pastry is chilled, open the plastic film, and put another layer on top of the pastry. Use a rolling pin (or a wine bottle), to roll the pastry between the plastic film layers until it’s big enough to line the tart tin (about 27 cm diameter).
6. Remove the top plastic layer, lift the pastry together with the bottom plastic layer off the counter and invert it onto the tin. Using your knuckles, press the pastry onto the sides and corners of the tin.
7. Cut the excess at the top and use it to patch any holes / cracks on the bottom / walls of the pastry. Prick the bottom with a fork.
8. Blind bake (put a layer of baking paper and weights on top) pastry in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, take out and allow to cool off slightly.

Prepare the tomatoes

1. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stem-core with a sharp knife.
2. Slice the tomatoes about 5-6mm thickness, perpendicularly to the core.
3. Salt the tomatoes, and lay on a large colander in the sink to drain the juices. Let rest for about 10-20 minutes, while the shell cools off.

Make the ricotta filling

1. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, minced red onion and salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the tart

1. Preheat oven to 180C fan (200C standard).
2. Spread the ricotta mix on the bottom of the tart shell.
3. Pat the tomato slices dry with some paper towels, and lay them on top of the ricotta mix. I like to do this in circles starting from the outside and overlapping the slices.
4. Season the tomato slices with ground pepper. Add some Parmesan shavings on top if you want.
5. Place the tart tin on the rimmed cookie sheet (to catch any juices that might leak), and place in the middle of the oven.
6. Bake 40 minutes.
7. Take out, release from tin (use an upside down bowl to rest the tin on, release the sides) and slide onto a serving platter.
8. Decorate with more Parmesan shavings if desired.