Courgette, feta and mint tart
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Courgette, feta and mint tart
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Genevieve Taylor
Genevieve Taylor is a writer and food stylist whose love of travel inspires her colourful herb and spice-infused food. A little bit obsessed by fire, she is currently working on a book about the wonderful versatility of cooking in a wood-fired oven
Genevieve Taylor
Genevieve Taylor is a writer and food stylist whose love of travel inspires her colourful herb and spice-infused food. A little bit obsessed by fire, she is currently working on a book about the wonderful versatility of cooking in a wood-fired oven
Ingredients
- 2 medium courgettes
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1x 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
- 300ml full-fat crème fraîche
- 1⁄2 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 x 28g pack mint, leaves chopped
- 1 x 200g pack vegetarian feta cheese, roughly crumbled or chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Step by step
Salt the courgettes a few hours ahead.
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Trim the ends off each courgette, then use a vegetable peeler to shave ribbons from top to bottom, turning the courgette as you go. You will get to a point where you can’t really get decent strips any more, so just peel off as much as you can and discard the core.
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Rest a colander over a bowl and add the courgette ribbons to it. Sprinkle on the salt, tossing so the ribbons are evenly coated. Sit a small plate that fits inside the colander on top of the courgettes, then rest a couple of heavy tins on top to press down. Set aside for 30 minutes or so to squeeze out the excess water.
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Once the courgettes have finished the salting process, unroll the pastry onto a large sheet of baking paper and select a baking sheet large enough to fit the pastry sheet on. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7 and slide in the empty baking sheet to get hot (this will ensure your tart gets a good crispy base).
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Take a sharp knife and score a 1-1.5cm border around the edge of the pastry, taking care not to cut all the way through. Brush a little of the beaten egg onto the margin to glaze it and set aside.
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Mix the crème fraîche with the rest of the egg then stir in the spring onions, mint and a generous seasoning of black pepper. Pour this mixture into the centre of the pastry and spread out to a thin layer, keeping it off the border as much as possible (but don’t worry if a little runs over).
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Arrange the courgette ribbons on top of the crème fraîche mixture; don’t be too neat about this, keeping them a twirly tangle is just fine. Scatter over the feta cheese, drizzle over a little olive oil and add a final grind of black pepper.
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Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and, resting it on a good, stable heatproof surface, carefully slide the baking paper with the tart onto to it. Put the tray back into the oven.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is puffed up, crisp and golden, the cheese melting and the courgette strips starting to char a little at the edges. Leave to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into slices and serving. This tart is great served warm or at room temperature.
