This is my go to tart after a visit to the Farmer’s Market when I have a haul of carrots, beetroot and zucchini. I love to make my own pastry however to keep things easy a store-bought shortcrust pastry would work perfectly too. Serve with a leafy green salad and you have a delicious lunch.

Beetroot & Carrot Tart with Feta & Herbs
This is my go-to tart after a visit to the Farmer's Market when I have a haul of carrots, beetroot and zucchini. I love to make my own pastry; however, to keep things easy, a store-bought shortcrust pastry would work perfectly too. Serve with a leafy green salad, and you have a delicious lunch.
Ingredients
- 6 baby carrots scrubbed (heirloom variety if available)
- 2 beetroots scrubbed
- 1 red onion peeled & cut into wedges
- 1 zucchini sliced into 1cm rounds
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- salt & pepper
- 2 eggs
- 200 ml cream
- 100 g feta crumbled
- 25 g hazelnuts or pecans roasted
- 1 shortcrust pastry shell either 23cm round or 11x34cm rectangle, blind baked
Herb Salad
- handful parsley leaves
- handful mint leaves
- small amount red onion very finely shaved
- squeeze lemon juice
- olive oil drizzle
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C. Wrap beetroot in foil, place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.
- Meanwhile, combine carrots, red onion, thyme sprigs, cumin seeds, oil & honey in a roasting pan. Toss to coat, season with salt & pepper & roast for 15 mins, then add the zucchini and roast for a further 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Set aside to cool.
- Place eggs, cream and half of the feta in a bowl and season with salt & pepper, whisk to combine.
- Place carrots, onion, beetroot and zucchini into the tart base. Pour in egg mixture and sprinkle remaining feta over the top. Bake for 30-35 mins or until just set and golden.
- Place hazelnuts, parsley, mint and red onion in a bowl and dress with a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve tart warm with herb salad.

Shortcrust Pastry
This recipe, adapted from Bourke Street Bakery, is one of the yummiest shortcrust pastry recipes I have made - it just melts in the mouth. I like the addition of spelt or wholemeal flour for its texture and nutty flavour. In addition, find the pastry is very easy to work with, an added bonus!
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter diced into 1.5cm cubes
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g spelt/wholemeal flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 ½ tsp vinegar chilled
- 50 ml water chilled
Instructions
- Remove butter from the fridge about 20 mins before you start making the pastry so that it is just soft but still cold.
- Combine the flours & salt in a mixing bowl and toss through the butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour to partly combine. Turn the mixture out onto a clean bench and gather it together.
- Combine the water & vinegar and sprinkle it over the flour mixture. Use the palm of your hand to smear the mixture away from you across the bench. Gather together and repeat this smearing action 2-3 times more until you achieve a pastry with streaks of butter marbled throughout. Wrap in plastic & place in the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours.
- Bring pastry out of the fridge for about 20 mins before rolling out. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench to line a 34x12cm loose-based tart tin. Put back in the fridge to rest for at least 30 mins to 1 hour.
- Prick the base with a fork, line with baking paper & fill with baking beans - cook for 10 mins. Remove baking beans & cook for a further 5 mins.