Extra thin & crispy goat’s cheese tart with spinach & thyme pesto

This is really a posh pizza minus the time spent on making a real bread base. Making a crunchy crispy filo base in this way has been a very useful item in my foodie repertoire and toppings such as bananas with toffee sauce, four cheeses with some chopped fresh herbs or caramelised onions with mozzarella and basil have all seen their way through my kitchen. For something even more different before baking, cut the filo into circles or heart shapes for individual portions.

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ x 270g packet of filo pastry (preferably not frozen; you can freeze the leftover pastry for use later)

1½ handfuls of fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)

50g melted butter or light olive oil spray

1 large tomato, finely sliced

200g goat’s cheese log, cut into 2.5mm-thick slices

Spinach pesto

Handful of spinach leaves

Handful of pine nuts, toasted (I found some pretoasted at the supermarket, or pan-fry them for 3 minutes, until toasted)

1 clove of garlic, peeled

20–30ml extra-virgin olive oil

60g Parmesan cheese (or use vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Lay one filo sheet on top of a flat (preferably non-stick) baking tray, sprinkle with a little thyme, if using, and place another filo sheet on top. Dab a little melted butter roughly over the tart, especially at the edges since they are prone to burning, and sprinkle with more thyme, if using. Repeat until you have four layers of pastry. Place another flat baking tray on top of the pastry and cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes, keeping a close eye on it.

Meanwhile, make the pesto by blending the spinach, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan together in a food processor. Season to taste.

Take the pastry base out of the oven. If the edges look like they are getting too dark, brush them with a little more melted butter, then spread the pesto over the pastry, leaving a 2cm border. Place the tomato and the goat’s cheese slices in alternate layers, sprinkle with a little more thyme, if using, and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the goat’s cheese begins to melt.

Take the tart out of the oven. I find that the bottom of the tart can get a little oily, so to combat this, I cut a slice of the tart and before serving put it on some kitchen paper to soak up any oil. Serve straight away with a

large green salad and a chilled Italian white wine