Roasted Veggie Crostada

A golden, airy and buttery puff pastry crust, filled with a garden bonanza of veggies! The pine nuts and Parmesan cheese gild this savory crostada! A beautiful brunch or buffet dish!

Roasted Veggie Crostada

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

2 cups thinly sliced, well-washed leeks (white part only)

4 - 5 medium tomatoes

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch slices

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1 medium red pepper, seeded and cut into quarters

1/2 large red onion, cut into 4 slivers

1 bulb garlic, separated into cloves

olive oil

5 ounces goat cheese or Boursin cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves , or 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

-On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry dough to 1/16th of an inch, thickness. Using a plate as a guide, cut out a 12-inch round and place dough on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick the surface of the dough round thoroughly with the tines of a fork. With the scraps of dough or another portion of puff pastry dough, roll out again, without bundling together but cutting and patching to create long strips about 3/4 of an inch wide.

-Brush the pastry round edges with water and place the strips around the edge to create a higher border. You can patch and overlap the strips to make a solid border around, securing the seams with a touch of water. Chill the dough in the freezer for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

-Salt the eggplant slices well with salt on both sides and leave on a paper towel for about 15 minutes as the salt works to extract any bitterness from the eggplant. Then run cold water over the slices to remove the salt and pat dry.

-Clean, trim and cut vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic cloves and red pepper) and place on a well-oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and sprinkle a bit more oil over the top. Roast in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until soft. Remove and set aside. Slices the red peppers into long 1/2 wide strips and saute in a bit of oil in a pan for about 5 minutes until softened.

-Meantime, heat 5 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the leeks have softened, 5 - 7 minutes. Tranfer the leeks to a plate to let cool until assembly.

-In a medium sized bowl, combine the goat cheese or Boursin cheese, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a dash of pepper and 2 tablespoon olive oil Mix well. Squeeze the cloves of softened garlic out of their skins into the bowl. Mash and mix until the cheese mixture is smooth and uniform.

-Remove the puff pastry dough from the freezer and place in a 400 degrees oven on the middle shelf and bake until it is puffed and golden brown (20-25 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes.

-To Assemble:

-Carefully spread the cheese mixture over the base of the pastry round. Layer the leeks over the cheese mixture layer, then arrange the vegetables in concentric circles or in any pleasing arrangement you prefer, on top. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the vegetables, add a dash of Italian seasoning if desired and another small dose of salt and pepper with a final drizzle of olive oil.

-Bake the crostata at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until the Parmesan cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the fresh basil over and top and drizzle with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside for at least 15 minutes before slicing into pie wedges. Serves 8

Prepare the veggies of your choice to feature in this crostata creation!

Roast the vegetables until slightly softened in the oven.

Roll out the thawed puff pastry to about 1/16th of an inch and cut into a 12 inch diameter circle.

Mix the goat cheese or Boursin cheese with herbs and roasted garlic.

Spread the cheese mixture on baked crust then layer with vegetables. Bake until Parmesan cheese is melted.

Cut into pie wedges and serve warm.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**To use frozen puff pastry, remove from freezer and remove wrappings. If the pastry is folded into a triangle, let it sit on the counter for 10 - 15 minutes until you can gently open the triangle and prop it up slightly opened on the counter, without breaking it. Let rest another 10 - 15 minutes. Gently open the triangle until you can lay the pastry flat on your lightly floured counter. Then begin to roll gently with a rolling pin, applying pressure to the seams as you roll to your desired shape. Puff pastry should be very chilled or frozen again once it is prepared with toppings or fillings before placing in in the preheated oven. This hardens the butter in the pastry again and allows it to expand as it bakes to create the area pockets characterisitc of puff pastry.

**Use vegetables you prefer that will roast well in the oven and are not too full of liquid. Artichoke hearts, olives, cooked mushrooms, roasted asparagus, etc. would also work nicely in this crostata. Or remove those vegetables you don’t care for. Create your own savory crostata according to your own tastes, or according to what you need to use from the garden! The leeks could be omitted as well, though they add a wonderfully mild oniony flavor.