BECKI OWENS

Recently we hosted an evening baby shower and chose to serve a light dinner.  One of our favorite recipes from the shower was a Roasted Vegetable Crostata by Jenny Evans. This savory version of a tart was a hit. We wanted to share this recipe with you to be used as an appetizer or part of a meal. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!

Crostata pictured above on wood stump. Below assembling the Crostata.

Roasted Vegetable Crostada
by Jenny Evans

Ingredients

• 2 large pieces of parchment paperflour
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 ½ c. Havarti cheese, grated
• ½ c. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large head cauliflower (3 lbs.), cut into florets
• ¼ c. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 whole garlic bulbs
• salt and pepper
• 3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
• ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 3 Tbsp. chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 ½ tsp. fresh thyme, minced
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 package pre sliced Cremini mushrooms (Trader Joes)
• 1-8 oz. package Brussels sprouts, halved
• 6 shallots, cut into slivers

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut off the tops of each garlic bulb. Place each bulb in a piece of foil. Drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil on each bulb. Wrap up each bulb in the foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Place 2/3 of the cauliflower florets in a large bowl. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the remaining cauliflower with the onion and 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Season with 1 tsp. salt and some pepper. Spread on the large rimmed baking sheet, with the foil wrapped garlic bulbs and roast for 35 minutes.

When the garlic is soft and cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of each bulb into the bowl of a food processor. Add the roasted cauliflower and onions. Add 1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce, ¼ tsp. salt and some pepper. Puree until smooth.

In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch and mix until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add the chicken broth, Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, ½ tsp. salt, some pepper and 1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce. Place in a small saucepan and heat through until slightly thickened. Take off heat.

Put the remaining cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and shallots in a large mixing bowl. Place the carrots in a separate small mixing bowl. Pour 1 ½ Tbsp. of olive oil over the mixed vegetables and toss well. Place the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Pour 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the carrots and toss well. Place the carrots on a small rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the other baking sheet with the other vegetables in the oven and continue to roast for an additional 25 minutes (the carrots take longer to cook through). Place the warm vegetables, including the carrots in a large mixing bowl and mix together with the chicken broth liquid. Set aside.

Dust the top of each piece of parchment paper with flour and roll out each puffed pastry sheet to about a 12-14 inch circle. Place one half of the vegetable puree in the center of each puffed pastry and spread it out, careful to leave a 2 ½-3 inch border around the outer edge of the pastry. Top with ¾ cup of the grated Havarti cheese. Take half of the sautéed vegetables and place on top of the cheese. Top with ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese. Fold in the edges of the puff pastry making pleats as you go. Brush each pastry with the beaten egg wash. Transfer the crostatas to a rimmed baking sheet, leaving the parchment paper under the corstata. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops of the pastry is golden brown and the bottom is cooked through (Lift with a spatula to check). Serve warm.

Serves 12