Carrot, beetroot and red onion tarte tatin
I loved assembling all those different root vegetable colours. Roasting the veg first gives you deeper, sweeter flavours – the carrot-top pesto is remarkably delicious, too. I find it very satisfying to use the tops rather than chuck them away.
Ingredients
- 10–12 rainbow carrots (depending on size), scrubbed, trimmed and halved lengthways
- 3 medium beetroots, scrubbed or peeled then sliced into 3–4mm-thick rounds
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 star anise, bashed or 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp brown soft sugar
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 3 large red onions, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- flour, for dusting
- 400–500g/14oz–1lb 2oz puff pastry, depending on the size of your dish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- green salad, to serve
For the carrot-top pesto
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Put the carrots and beetroot slices into a large roasting tin and add 4 tablespoons olive oil, the star anise and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Season with salt and pepper, then using your hands or wooden spoons toss the whole lot together until the vegetables are coated in the oil and seasonings. Roast for 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the sliced red onions and garlic with the remaining teaspoon of brown sugar. Cook over a low–medium heat until the onions are very soft and sweet, then remove from the heat.
Grease a pie dish generously with the extra butter. Place the roasted carrots over the base in an attractive pattern, then add the roasted beetroot slices on top and the cooked red onions. Season with salt and pepper as you go.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry until a little larger than your dish to allow for shrinkage. Place the pastry over the vegetables, tucking it down the sides of the dish, then trim off any excess. Bake the tart for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and risen.
Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool a little. Meanwhile, put all the pesto ingredients in a blender and blend well. Add a splash of water if necessary to get a drizzling consistency.
Carefully cover the tin or pan with a large serving plate or board and invert to turn the tart out. You may need to rearrange a few of the vegetables with a palette knife to tidy it up.
Serve slices of the tart with the pesto drizzled over or alongside, plus a green salad.