Onion And Feta Cheese Flan

Onion, Olive, Tomato And Feta Cheese Flan

Onion And Feta – Great Taste Combination

Some combinations of food just work. It is probably due to a balance of sweet and sour, salt and vinegar. What ever the science this tart with a base of caramalised onions with sugar and balsamic vinegar, combined with feta cheese, olives and tomatoes makes a wonderful supper. It can be served hot or cold with a green salad and new potatoes.

It is easy to prepare but wouldn’t be out of place in a trendy bistro. The only real work in the preparation is the onions, which take about 15 minutes. All the other ingredients just go on the top.

Low cost and good for you, this delicious tart is also really easy to prepare!

I chose to make this tart with wholemeal pastry. You could make it with bought puff pastry – in the same way as another delicious Tart – Brie and Tomato Tart. I like the nuttiness and texture of shortcrust wholemeal pastry as I feel it provides a delicious contrast to the other ingredients.

Olives and Onions

I didn’t like olives until I was well into my 30s. It’s one of those foods that you have to kind of ‘get’ before you like them. Now I love them and think they are wonderful either alone or in cooking.

They can be expensive, but I get basic black olives from the deli counter at Sainsbury’s as they are cheaper (and nicer) than the olives in their ‘basics’ range. I do love olive counters in markets and it’s nice to get some stuffed olives as a treat. And they are so good for you too!

The recipe uses two red onions. The red onions are slightly sweeter than the white onions, but a white onion could be used instead. A red onion is also high in flavonoids – which may help to protect against cancer and have many other health benefits. So along with the tomatoes and wholemeal flour, this is quite a healthy tart too!

Tasty And Low Cost Too

Low cost too at about £2.50 for four servings. Add some potatoes and salad and you have a meal for four less than £5! When buying tomatoes for this tart, do stop to compare prices as they vary considerably in the supermarket from between 1.60 and over £7 per kilo.

I would recommend cherry type tomatoes for this dish.

I may not buy the cheapest tomatoes as they are often lacking in flavour. Sometimes supermarkets give a price per pack instead of the weight on some of the tomatoes, making it difficult to compare prices. However there is usually some weighing scales in the fruit and vegetable section so you can check out the weight and calculate the £ per kilo.

Pastry – As You Like It

If you prefer to make shortcrust pastry with white flour, just substitute white flour for wholemeal – or try half white and half wholemeal. You can of course use ready made pastry but making your own is so easy that it really isn’t worth the extra expense (in my opinion). I made this tart in a small baking dish – 20cm by 15cm but you could use a round flan tin