This Nettle Tarte Tatin recipe is best served warm and provides an original and tasty way to use up the glut of courgettes and tomatoes in late summer/early autumn.
Nettles also give a quick second growth of new tops that can be used to make a pesto sauce.
When the pine nuts are roasting in the frying pan do not on any account take your eyes off them and keep them on the move.
When lightly browned remove from the heat and the pan or they will continue to brown.
Stinging Nettle Tarte Tatin Recipe Ingredients
- 100g Basmati rice
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 courgette, finely chopped
- 80g nettle pesto, made with a good handful of nettles a slug of olive oil and a tablespoon pine nuts, zapped in a food processor.
- 2 heaped tablespoons pine nuts, dry-fried in a pan
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and black pepper
- About 600g tomatoes
- 500g block flaky pastry ( this isn’t boasting but I make mine with 200g strong plain flour and 150g butter. I just love making pastry)
Stinging Nettle Tarte Tatin Recipe Instructions
- Place the rice and turmeric in a small saucepan, just cover with boiled water from the kettle and cook for 8 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC gas 6. you will either need a 26cm non-stick frying pan or use the same size tart tin lined with baking parchment. It could be square. But have the paper coming up the sides so there are no leakages.
- Heat the oil in the frying pan and add the prepared onion, garlic, courgette and red pepper, sautéing until just softened (about 10 minutes).
- Add the vegetables to the rice along with the pesto, pine nuts, lemon zest and seasoning. Mix well.
- Cut the tomatoes in half around the equator. If they have a hard woody core then cut that out and discard.
- Place the tomatoes skin side down in the frying pan (no need to wash), packed in fairly tightly. Spoon the rice mixture over the top and sides, smoothing it down with the back of a spoon.
- Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2 x £1 coins, a bit bigger than the pan. Place over the rice and push the pastry gently down around the inside edge.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is brown. Allow the tart to cool in the pan for 5 minutes or so and turn out on to a large plate. The tomato skins will come off very easily between finger and thumb.
Serves 6
Further reading: Traditional and Modern Use of Stinging Nettle