Roasted Vegetable Tart

You won't believe how easy this vibrant Mediterranean Vegetable tart is to make! Packed with phytoestrogens with a beneficial hormone-like action, it is best served with a salad. 

Vitamin C is vital for the bones as it produces collagen. Just a small portion of courgettes (100g) will also provide you with more than a quarter of your daily needs of Vitamin C.  

3 large ripe vine tomatoes

2 courgettes - quartered lengthways and cut into chunks

1 thin, long aubergine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

125g garlic and herb soft cheese (vegetarian, or goats cheese is fine too)

2 tablespoons of creme fraiche

1 tablespoon of chopped basil, plus a few leaves to serve

100g roasted red peppers from a jar, sliced

75g sundried tomatoes, drained

1 x 320 pack, fresh, ready-rolled puff pastry 

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Salt flakes and freshly milled black pepper

You will need a large baking tray, measuring 12x16 inches (30-40cm), lightly oiled

1.  Heat the oven to 240C, fan 220C, gas 9

2.  Cut the aubergine, courgettes and tomatoes into 5mm slices.  Place the aubergine and courgette slices onto a baking sheet and lightly brush both sides with olive oil (1 tablespoon). Season and roast for 10 minutes until tender and leave to cool. Meanwhile, pat the tomato slices dry and drain on a kitchen towel.

3.  Heat a large baking sheet in top of the oven. Mash the soft cheese, creme fraiche, and chopped basil leaves in a bowl with a fork. Season well.

4. Unroll the puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface and roll it out in one direction to make a square, about 3mm thick. Trim off the corners to make a round disc about 30cm in diameter.  Transfer the pastry circle to a large piece of baking paper to help with assembly.

5. Carefully spread the cheese mixture evenly over the centre of the pastry, leaving about 5cm border all around.  Layer up slices of courgette, aubergine and tomato and arrange on top of the filling in a spiral, or overlapping concentric circle. Nestle in the sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers as you wish.

6.  Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and fold in the sides to overlap the filling, making a 4 cm wide crust.  Brush the crust with the egg yolk, sprinkle some salt/pepper and carefully slide the tart on to the hot baking tray in the oven.

7.  Cook on a middle shelf for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Turn down the oven to 180C, gas 4 if the veggies begin to char and the pastry isn't golden. Pierce the pastry if it is domed and leave the tart to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.