Mediterranean Vegetable Tartlets with Labneh
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 tartlets
- Total: 2 hr 10 min
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
Filling:
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon harissa
Pinch za'atar
Pan-fried eggplant slices
Pan-fried zucchini slices
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Crust:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ice water
Labneh:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Za'atar
Directions
Special equipment:
a 4-inch round cutter- For the filling: Cook the red onions in the oil over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pomegranate juice, tomato paste, harissa and za'atar. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- For the crust: Stir together the flour, cumin, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl. Then, using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until you have a coarse meal with some pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle in the oil and a few drops of ice water and continue stirring together with a fork until a dough just comes together. Gather into a ball, flatten into a disk, and then wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface. With a 4-inch cutter, cut out 8 rounds.
- On 4 of the rounds, layer on some of the onion mixture, some eggplant and zucchini slices, and a sprinkling of parsley, leaving an empty border. Cover with the remaining 4 pastry rounds and pinch the edges shut. Transfer the tartlets to a baking sheet.
- Bake until lightly golden all over, about 20 minutes.
- For the labneh: Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt, sour cream, goat cheese, mint, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt, pepper and za'atar to taste.
- Serve the tartlets with a dollop of labneh on the side.