food to glow

Another tongue-twisting title from yours truly. I could have just left it at Tandoori Cauliflower Tart but then that would miss out the real reason why I am writing this post. If you don’t already know about this blindingly simple way of making pastry, let me introduce you to the Olive Oil Crust. Reader, crust. Crust, reader. Now that you have been formally introduced, you can get to know one another.

I can’t remember when I first came across it, probably in an old, now out-of-print hippy cookbook, but it has also been floating around the Internet for awhile. Clotilde at Zucchini and Chocolate has the most popular version of it, but there are others using vegetable oil (so not really an olive oil crust then), some who freeze their olive oil to make it more like butter, all white flour ones, and probably some other permutations too. I have played with the basic recipe, adding some ground seeds for extra crunch, flavour and satisfying protein, and using small amounts of kalonji/black onion seed and garlic powder  for an extra dimension. If you don’t have the kalonji, or don’t fancy using either this or the garlic, just leave them out. And maybe make up two crusts and do something properly quichey for the second. I  also made a wild garlic, nettle and spinach version that was pretty tasty, but I didn’t chop up the greens enough and we had to do a lot of chewing!

Just thinking laterally, I also think it would be good with light olive oil, ground almonds, vanilla powder (from Steenberg’s if you are in the UK) and a little bit of honey, agave or malt syrup for a sweet version. I could then make an almost healthy chocolate pie (I will give you my filling some time soon – it’s super easy and very good for you. Unbelievably).

For now I give you this pretty nifty little lunch, supper or picnic tart. The colour is so delightful that you might even get some cauliflower-feardies (Scottish for scaredy cat) to take a bite. Especially with a little spicy ketchup on the side. PS I am writing this before breakfast and I am getting very hungry. Better fix some Spicy Kale and Egg Breakfast before I start drooling on the keyboard. Or maybe I fancy some Good-for-you Granola… Choices, choices.

Next post is the last (for now) of my Breakfast mini-series. Another slightly batty idea from me (give you a hint: samphire), Internet finds and the best of your comment offerings. Keep sending in your breakfast ideas, any good weblinks, and tips on your best time-saving tips in the morning.

Before I get on with the recipe I must thank a couple of special people for nominating me for two blogging awards. I have got a couple in the recent past but didn’t really understand how they worked or why I got them so I didn’t ‘comply’ by writing about them and passing the awards along. Here I am to remedy this a bit by thanking first of all ‘Desi Chick’ (the beautiful and extremely youthful looking,  Tahmina) at Kolpona Cuisine for nominating me in April (!) for the Sharing the Love ‘Kreativ Blogger‘ award. I love the pretty logo but as a hosted site I don’t get to display all the fancy badges and what not, so go over to Tahmina, read about the other awardees, and a little about the fabulous Asian recipes that Tahmina creates. She has introduced me to quite a number of new combinations and ideas, and is a generous and thoughtful commenter. Thank you!

My next thank you is to the delightful Karen, a fellow seasonal cook and herb user over at Lavender and Lovage. Karen awarded me the Versatile Blogger award, again with a fab badge that I can’t display (boo!). Karen is a very prolific and creative food blogger and someone I will always go to first if I want to do a spot of traditional baking. But she also does great savoury dishes, especially fishy ones.

The ‘catch’ with both awards is that you have to divulge 5-7 random things about yourself. I am incredibly boring, but here goes: 1) I visited the former Soviet Union back in the mid-80s and picked up a very nasty illness for which I was hospitalised and took a year to recover from. During my hospital stay I was ‘interrogated’ about possible drug couriers in my group!  Scary. 2) I can guess the time anywhere I am to within a minute or two either side. Spooky. 3) I’d rather climb a mountain (well, hill) than come down it. 4) My favourite food is probably Mr A’s mutton curry or baked beans on toast. 5) I love writing and, like everyone and their dog, I think I have a couple of novels in me. Watch out best seller chart! Ha ha.

I now have the pleasure of passing both awards (I hope I can do that) to the following inspirational, funny and talented people, including one non-food blogger: Niki at Unified Space, EA at The Spicy RD, Liz at Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things, Heather at Hef’s Kitchen and Natalie at Cook, Eat Live Vegetarian. Love your work.

Now ladies, it’s your turn to share the love by

 

Tandoori Cauliflower Tart with an Olive Oil Crust

Combine dry ingredients. Pour in the olive oil and mix with a fork or knife. Add water and mix until absorbed. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl – I use one hand before turning the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Flour the dough and a rolling pin, and roll the dough out into a circle big enough to fit your tart pan with room to go up the sides – about 5 extra centimetres. Give the dough a quarter turn every few rolls of the pin, adding a little more flour if it starts becoming at all sticky. Don’t mess with it too much as it will become tough  so if it is a little messy but wide enough, don’t bother with making a perfect circle – you can trim it in a moment.

Roll part of the dough loosely onto the rolling pin and ease the dough into the prepared pan and fit it in neatly. Don’t rush this bit and it will fit in just fine with no air pockets. Trim the excess dough and pop the tin in the fridge for 30 minutes to relax the gluten (lucky gluten!). You can leave it in the fridge for longer but cover it to keep from drying out.

Serves 8