“Rustic Ratatouille Tart for the January Dark” (Gluten Free)

~ Teresa Blackburn

rustic ratatouille tart

“The days are short, The sun a spark Hung thin between The dark and dark. (Poem by John Updike, “January”)

January has been a month of extreme cold & many sunless days. It has been a month of long days for me on photo shoots..arising before dawn and returning home way after dark. It has been a month to test the hearty, tire out the tireless and make us all yearn for lighter times.

In January I crave homey foods such as rich hot soups, winter greens salads with crusty homemade croutons, roasted vegetables of any kind topped with crumbly cheeses.  Comfort foods that are easy to make but complex in flavor…dishes that I can whip up from whatever is in the pantry & refrigerator at any given time…dinners that require no grocery runs or long lists of ingredients.

Ratatouille Tart

This gluten-free “Rustic Ratatouille Tart”  is one such dish. It is quick and easy, full of roasted vegetables encased in a whole grain crust and topped with a good feta cheese…a pretty perfect meal for a dark winter evening.

Ingredients: Grape or Cherry tomatoes, Squash of any type, Onions, Bell Peppers, Garlic Cloves  (or use whatever you happen to have on hand such as potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, etc.) cut vegetables into bite size pieces except for tomatoes & garlic cloves

Olive oil, Herbs de Provence (recipe for making at home here)  or Italian Seasoning, Salt & Black Pepper

1/2 cup shredded Gruyère Cheese

1/2 cup good quality Feta Cheese

For whole grain pie crust: 1 1/4 c.  King Arthur gluten-free whole grain flour blend + 1/4 tsp salt +  7 tbsp cold butter cut into small pieces + 1 cold egg

1 egg + 1 tbsp water whisked together for brushing on crust before baking

whole wheat crust & vegetables to roast

Directions:

1. For pie crust mix flour & salt together in a food processor. Add cold butter cut into small pieces. Pulse until mixed somewhat. Add 1 egg to processor, pulsing as you add, until dough forms into a ball. Remove from processor, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic & chill until ready to roll out. (This only takes a few minutes to make. A store-bought crust works just fine too.)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables on a sheet pan. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle Herbs de Provence, salt & black pepper over all. Roast for about 15 minutes just until tomatoes collapse & other vegetables are still firm. Remove pan from oven. Set aside to cool somewhat. Turn oven to 350 degrees.

3. On a flat surface dusted with additional whole grain flour roll dough out to a circle about 14 inches in diameter. Edges can be ragged and uneven. A gluten-free crust is not as “elastic” as a high gluten flour crust, more like a short-bread crust.

Pie crust

4. Sprinkle crust with shredded Gruyère Cheese. Pile roasted vegetables over cheese,  leaving a 2″ edge all around uncovered.

shredded Gruyere over crustroasted vegs on crust

5. Gently fold edges of crust up and over the vegetables leaving  center open. Brush crust with egg wash. Sprinkle feta crumbles over vegetables. Transfer tart to a baking sheet covered with parchment & bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crisp.

Pie crust filled with vegs

Ratatouille Tart

Stay Warm. Keep it simple. Eat well.

Baby it’s cold outside!

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78 thoughts on ““Rustic Ratatouille Tart for the January Dark” (Gluten Free)”

  1. That looks wonderful! I love the Danish feta from Trader Joe’s that’s packaged in brine — the best I’ve ever had.

    Reply

  3. Teresa this looks and sounds absolutely delicious!! It really doesn’t look that difficult to prepare either. What a wonderful hearty dish to warm one’s self with….

    Reply

    1. John, thanks for stopping by and yes, this is just the easiest recipe to make and really anything would work, any kind of crust, whatever Liz has in the fridge. Stay warm.

      Reply

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and reblogging this recipe of mine…it is easy and healthy and makes you think you are eating something much more lush than it it. Let me know how yours turns out if you make it.

      Reply

    1. Isn’t that the truth. I had never used this particular gluten-free whole meal flour before but ended up with some in my pantry via a photo shoot so decided to try it out. Very, very nice crust indeed.

      Reply

  18. Exceptional dish..
    We have a same in Greece,we call it pougki,or fwlia(nest?)
    Try to add some Greek original Feta cheese or xinomizithra from Sifnos island,Greece…
    A chef’s kind comments to an excellent published recipe!
    Well done again!

    Reply

  22. Simply divine Teresa. I want to curl up on the couch with a big slice of this tart and maybe a glass of red wine. I’m a fool for a dish packed with veggies…and the cheese doesn’t hurt. Yum.

    Reply

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  31. That looks absolutely delicious. I am on my way to the grocery store now. Since the crust is whole wheat I will use that too, even though I am trying to shed a few pounds. After all, I am not fanatical about this weight loss thing. I will probably add a few drops of organic apple cider vinegar to give it a little more zip. It has great eye appeal, who would not be tempted?

    Reply

  32. Beautifully prepared, beautifully presented. And so much easier than Confit Biyaldi presented in the “Ratatouille” movie, which I endeavored to re-create this summer. This looks simpler and better!

    Reply
  37. Pingback: “Rustic Ratatouille Tart for the January Dark” (Gluten Free) | CookingPlanet

  42. Yum yum yum yum! And super gorgeous! I love savory pot pies, but this looks ever better with even more crust action. How do you feel about gravies/white sauce instead of cheese?

    Reply

  60. My wife and I were looking for gluten free meal ideas and this looks perfect.

    I’m also a fan of making unique meals with whatever you have meaning they’re tasty and economical, so thanks for this!

    Reply

  63. First I want to congratulate you for you beautiful tart being Freshly Pressed. Now I’ll tell you how perfect it is…having arrived back to grey and snowy New Hampshire, this will certainly brighten up a dinner. 🙂

    Reply

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