Egyptian Spiced Beetroot Tart With Asparagus

Tegeirian
by Tegeirian
1 Tart
3 hr 40 min

I am always excited to try new spices – my spice rack is my secret weapon and I am not afraid to us it! I love learning what spices will best complement my vegetables, as I don’t want to overpower the dish. I want you to bite into your food and taste the warming hint of spice and seasoning.


I don’t normally cook Middle Eastern or African food, which needs to change! I was doing a little research on flavours and stumbled across an article on Egyptian flavours. I have only tried Egyptian food once and this was at a market during Ramadan on the outskirts of Sydney. It was delicious, full of spices and fresh herbs, which is great because vegetables with no garnish is a crime.

Egyptian spiced beetroot tart with asparagus

Egyptian spiced beetroot tart with asparagus

Egyptian spiced beetroot tart with asparagus

Egyptian Spiced Beetroot Tart With Asparagus
Recipe details
  • 1  Tart
  • Prep time: 120 Minutes Cook time: 100 Minutes Total time: 3 hr 40 min
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Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
  • 300g plain flour
  • 200g of vegan marg
  • 1-2tsp of water if needed
  • Extra flour for rolling out
Spiced Beetroot
  • 3 large beetroots
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1/4 lemon
  • 2 tsp Dukkah mix (Egyptian spice blend)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp hot paprika
  • 17-20 asparagus tips
  • 2 tbsp plain yogurt
  • Handful of pistachio nuts and/or sunflower seeds
Instructions

First you will need to make the pastry because this will sit in the fridge for an hour and cool. Add the flour into a large bowl then break the butter into small pieces and add into the flour. Using your hands rub the pastry together you want the flour and butter to warm up and bind together. If the mix is looking a little crumbly add a tiny drop of water, I added 1tsp to mine but I did not need much as I was using vegan spreadable butter.
When you are happy with the pastry cover it up and place in the fridge to cool for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees /fan. Clean and chop off the ends of the beetroots then place them on a baking tray and drizzle in oil. Add the two garlic cloves in and cover the tray with foil; delete these will roast till soft for approximately 40-50 minutes (can take up to an hour).
Once your beetroot is cooked, remove the foil and let it cool. Take your pasty out of the fridge and divide into two pieces. Sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll out the pastry; if it’s sticking add some more flour or cool the rolling pin in the fridge (sometimes cold utensils can help stop the pastry from sticking). You can create two tarts from the pastry you have made.
When you are happy with the shape, roll the side in and press down the a fork to keep the edges upright. You want a small crust running along the edge as seen in the photo above. Blind bake your pastry in the oven at 170 degrees/fan for 20 minutes.
Place the cooled beetroot into a blender, remove the garlic skin and place the two cloves into the blender as well. Add the lemon, 1 tspn oil, cumin, dakkah, cinnamon, hot paprika and delete blend until a smooth purple paste has formed. Season and blend again.
Remove the pastry from the oven and carefully remove the clay beads (these will be very hot) and baking paper/parchment. Divide the mixture equally between both tarts and lightly brush chilli oil over the crusts. Place back into the oven for 5-7 minutes. While this cooks, snap the ends off your asparagus, then steam or boil for up to 4-10minutes. If you boiling it then it takes about 4-5minutes to cook.
Remove the tarts from the oven and let them cool. Drain the asparagus before draping them over the top of the tarts. Once ready, drizzle plain yogurt, chopped pistachio nuts and/or sunflower seeds over the top. Serve!
Tegeirian
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