“Meat free Monday”  is something I look forward to, because I find it is more challenging to find filling, delicious recipes that are meat, poultry and fish free. This probably sounds absurd to vegetarians, but it takes a certain kind of thinking to put veg together to get that same kind of “I’m fed” satisfaction when there is no meat involved.  It is also a challenge to get the kids to eat it, but since mine look at tarts as giant pizzas.. I think this one might just work.

This is a great dish for a family dinner or brunch. It requires some prep and assembly but it is and easy, no mess no fuss recipe.

You will need a deep-heavy pan, a griddle pan, one small and one big bowl and a tart tin to make this dish.

Enjoy!

What you need:

• 1 round short crust pastry (I used store bought but when I make my own I use the BBC recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/shortcrustpastry_1278)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large (2 medium) red onion, quartered and sliced
• 2 aubergines/eggplants
• 2 large eggs
• 200 gr ricotta cheese
• 50 ml double cream
• 200 gr halloumi cheese, sliced
• 200 gr cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp capers
• Handful of thyme leaves
• 2 tsp oregano (dried or fresh)
• Salt and pepper to season

Oil preparation for the aubergine:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano

What you do:

1. Pre-heat your oven at 18 degrees
2. Heat  2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add the red onions and the salt, gently cook until translucent
3. Cut the aubergines into 1cm thick rounds and salt them, place them in a pot of cold water and leave for 5 minutes (this helps get the bitterness out of the aubergine)
4. Take the aubergine out, dry them with a tea-towel and then brush them lightly on each side with the olive oil mix you made earlier
5. In the meantime heat a griddle pan and cook the aubergine until brown on both sides – you will have to do this in batches
6. In a bowl, beat the eggs, add the ricotta and the cream together, mix well until you have a smooth texture, then season with salt and pepper
7. Place the pastry in the baking tin and add the onions, then aubergine, halloumi slices and the cherry tomatoes — you can do this in layers or in a domino style. Depending on the look you want in the end. The domino style will give more height to the tart. I used the layer technique this time.
8. Once all placed in the pastry, pour over the ricotta, egg and cream mix and spread it over the tart evenly
9. Scatter the capers, oregano and thyme leaves on top
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, in a 180 degree oven (160 for fan assisted oven)
11. If it hasn’t set or turned golden by 30 minutes, give it another 5 minutes
12. Serve with a green salad with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. It is important that the dressing is light, so it complements the tart.

Serves 8 people —  Calories: Total:  3,648 — Per serving: 456