THE CANNY COOK: The perfect summer tart for less than £2 a serving

Daily Mail​

24-05-2025

Just as canned tomatoes are an absolute stalwart of winter cooking, I couldn't imagine planning summer meals without fresh tomatoes. They are so symbolic of warm-weather eating, and it's around now that we should start seeing some good homegrown varieties in the shops.
Forget buying them online – tomatoes should be chosen by eye and, whatever their shade, be vibrant, plump and just yielding to the touch. At home, store them in a cool, dark place rather than in the fridge, and leave them on the vine until ready to eat. Incidentally, I was once advised that the vines are secret harbourers of tomato flavour (give them a sniff to see what I mean). So if you're cooking fresh tomatoes, for example in a simple sauce, add the vines to the pan, too, fishing them out at the end.
Tomatoes need salt. If making a salad, salt the cut tomatoes about 10-15 minutes in advance. This will help to draw out some of the excess water and intensify their flavour. Also remember that tomatoes really come alive when paired with other ingredients: mellow cheeses like mozzarella and burrata, salty capers and olives and grassy herbs are some of their happiest bedfellows. You could certainly throw a few basil or oregano leaves over the tart in the recipe here before baking.
2 heaped tbsp black olive tapenade, £2.75
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm thick slices, season with salt then arrange over layers of kitchen paper to absorb excess water.
Unroll the puff pastry and leave on its baking paper. Score a border around the pastry 2cm from the edge using a sharp knife – take care not to cut the pastry all the way through. Prick the middle all over with a fork. Transfer, on the paper, to a large baking sheet.
Spread the tapenade all over the middle of the pastry. Arrange the tomatoes evenly over the top, then scatter with the cheese.
Grind over a little black pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry edge is golden and the cheese has melted.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving with a green salad.
Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email [e-mail]. If we print it here, we'll send you a bottle of champagne
*This cost assumes you already have some basic store-cupboard ingredients. prices taken from aldi and correct at time of going to press.