This recipe is adapted from the Artichoke Pesto out of my second cookbook The Vegan Butcher: now available for preorder worldwide.

ARTICHOKE PESTO TART

Makes a big tart..

This was a lazy afternoon in the kitchen that ended up tasting and looking too good not to share. You better make this and serve it with rocket or you’re literally being so rude to your tastebuds rn.

INGREDIENTS

Artichoke Pesto

• 150g drained artichoke hearts

• ½ cup packed parsley

• ¼ cup basil

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup shelled pistachios

• 2 garlic cloves

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

• Generous amount salt and pepper

Filling and Crust

• ½ cup prepared vegan egg replacer (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

• ½ cup shredded vegan cheese

• ½ packet of refrigerated Antoniou phyllo pastry

• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

• Heaps of the nicest cherry tomatoes you can find

• Freshly minced garlic

• Salt & pepper

Method: To make the pesto, process everything except for the oil in a food processor until in fine pieces, then run the processor while slowly pouring in the oil until smooth. Recipe taken from The Vegan Butcher cookbook (where it’s poured over a giant spaghetti stuffed meatball). That book just so happens to be available for preorder now from the usual online book retailers so, y’know..

The Tart

Preheat the oven to 180c. Lay a sheet of phyllo over a large tart dish. Rotate the dish 45 degrees and lay another sheet, Repeat, rotating the dish, until the phyllo covers the entire base. Use the remaining pastry to crumple and create lots of weird texture inside the dish (check the video for an example). Blind bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Thinly slice the tomatoes and toss in salt, pepper and garlic. Combine the artichoke pesto with prepared vegan egg replacer and vegan cheese. Fill the baked pastry shell, then lay the tomato over the top to decorate. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling has set and the tomatoes begin to blister.