Ratatouille Tart

I should start by saying, “I hate ratatouille”. I’ve always had an over-cooked stew of forgettable vegetables. But when I saw this in Cuisine at Home, I had to try it. Modified to use purchased pastry crust – if you prefer, make your own. I tweaked vege ratio slightly to suit our tastes. It looks more complicated than it is. Once the veges are prepped, it comes together quickly. Try it for a show-stopping vege side at a barbeque, or an elegant vegetarian main dish. Try to choose squash of similar diameters, and slice peppers and onion to similar size.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

•  Pillsbury ready made pie dough, ready to bake
• 1 1⁄2  yellow squash
• 1 1⁄2 zucchini
• 1⁄2 red bell pepper
• 1⁄2 onion
• 3⁄4 cup cheese, shredded, your favorite (mild is best)
• 2  tablespoons  thinly sliced basil
• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Press pie dough into 9” tart pan. Press dough into pan’s fluted edge, trim excess. Cover dart shell with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or baking weights. Bake according to package instructions. Let cool 5 minutes and remove weights. (you may do this earlier in the day, and hold at room temperature til needed).
2. Slice veges into 1/8” slices – a mandoline is very handy for this. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle cheese and basil over bottom of tart.
3. Arrange vegetables around the edge of tart shell, repeatedly overlapping 2 slices each of zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, and onion. (the onion tends to fall apart – just use a generous pinch of shreds.) Arrange a smaller circle inside the first. Put onions in the center, covered by more squash.
4. Drizzle the tart with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until tart is golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.