So, obviously this is a tart rather than a pizza. Acknowledged. But life is more exciting when you call things pizza, right? Seems to work for the kids. Spinning it as a ‘puff pastry pizza’ makes sense of the tart for the person who makes it too. Stay with me… I think, for me anyway, sometimes I struggle to know what to put onto tarts of the puff pastry variety. My mum in law is fab at them but I always feel hesitant over what will work: will it make the base soggy? Will it cook at the same time as the pastry? She makes a courgette one that always goes down well at parties and gatherings. But if you think about them as being like pizzas, then you can start with a tomatoey base, and take it from there.
In a busy parent’s repertoire, puff pastry (especially these packets of pre-rolled stuff) is an absolute God-send. You just need a few ideas for toppings up your sleeve! So, here is my first one – I will do a few more over the coming weeks…
I served mine with a simple quinoa, cucumber and tomato salad. My kids really like quinoa (I once described it as tiny pasta – there’s that spinning food into things they like thing again!) so they both eat it! This as a side balances the meal out a bit and gives some much needed freshness too.
Makes: 6 pieces (enough for 4-6 with a side)
Takes: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 puff pastry tart
- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree with a splash of extra virgin olive oil mixed in
- Few slices (about 6) of salami
- Few tablespoons of pesto (shop bought is fine)
- 1 x 125g ball of mozzarella torn into pieces
Quinoa, cucumber and tomato salad:
- Cooked quinoa
- Chunks of tomato
- Chunks of cucumber
- Fresh herbs (I used mint)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Squeeze lemon
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Lay the sheet of pastry on a lightly greased baking tray.
- Spoon the tomato puree and oil mix over the tart.
- Lay the salami over too – I like to not lay it flat (look at image above)
- Tear mozzarella and dot over top
- Spot the pesto about
- Drizzle with a little more oil and bake for about 20 mins. Keep an eye on it – you need the pastry to cook but toppings not to burn.
- Combine all the salad ingredients, making the dressing right in with the mix (a little lemon and 3 times more oil).
