Tomato and feta tart with poppy seed pastry
Serves: 6
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Dan Jones
Tomato and feta tart with poppy seed pastry
Serves: 6
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
430Kcal
Fat
30gr
Saturates
16gr
Carbs
28gr
Sugars
11gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
11gr
Salt
1.2gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
For the poppy seed pastry
- 50g poppy seeds
- 125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
- 75g cold butter, diced
For the filling
- 1 x 250g pack Pomodorino or baby plum tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp caster sugar
- leaves from 6 sprigs of thyme, plus extra to serve
- 50g butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 200g vegetarian feta cheese, crumbled
Step by step
Get ahead
Prepare to the end of step 6 the day before, storing the elements separately in the fridge. You can bake the tart a few hours before serving.
- Toast the poppy seeds in a dry frying pan for 1-2 minutes, shaking occasionally, until they start to smell nutty. Tip out onto a plate to cool completely.
-
Stir the flour, muscovado sugar and a good pinch of salt together in a mixing bowl then rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Stir in the poppy seeds, then add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to bring the pastry together as a ball. - Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and use to line a shallow 23cm tart tin. Don’t worry if it cracks, it’s the nature of this pastry; you can patch it up easily. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the rim of the tin. Chill for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes with the oil and some seasoning and spread out on a shallow baking tray. Sprinkle with 1⁄2 teaspoon of sugar and half the thyme then set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pan. Gently cook the onions with a pinch of salt, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until really soft (but not coloured).
- Line the tart case with crumpled baking paper and baking beans, put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes; put the tray of tomatoes on the top shelf of the oven. Remove the baking paper and beans, and return the pastry case to the oven for 8-10 minutes until crisp and dry. Take the tomatoes and tart case out of the oven (the tomatoes should be slightly roasted and dehydrated, remove them after the initial 15 minutes if they seem ready then), and trim off the excess pastry with a serrated knife.
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, red wine vinegar, remaining sugar and thyme to the onions. Season and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until thick. Spread the crumbled feta out in the tart case, reserving a little to garnish, then spoon the warm tomato sauce on top, followed by the roasted tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature rather than straight from the oven, scattered with the reserved feta and extra thyme leaves.
