Tomato and artichoke tart with homemade pastry

A delicious Spring and Summer-time tart to serve as a first dish or even as a main next to some crispy green salad. The homemade pastry adds to the final taste of the dish

Recipe of Christoforos Peskias,

a prominent Head Cook in Greece

from the "KATHIMERINI" newspaper

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

For the pastry:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of dry yeast
1 good pinch of sugar
1/3 cup of lukewarm water
1/2 tsp of salt
50ml of olive oil

For the filling:
200gr. cherry tomatoes, halved
3 artichoke hearts, halved (cleaned, trimmed and kept in a bowl of water and lemon juice until ready for use)
30ml of olive oil
1-2 tbsp of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 tbsp dried and crushed)
salt
white pepper

Method:
Put the yeast, the sugar and the water in a bowl and stir well. Leave in a warm place until bubbles form on the surface of the mixture.

In the bowl of a food processor mix the flour, the oil and the yeast mixture using the pastry tool for about 5-8 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Coat the dough with oil, cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place until it doubles in size (for about 20-30 minutes). Knead the dough again and divide into two balls. Cover with kitchen towel and leave for another 20 minutes until the dough doubles in size again.

When ready, cover the one dough ball with cling film and keep in the freezer for another time.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Roll the other ball out on a floured surface into a disc of about 30cm in diameter and lay it on a greased tart tin of 26-28cm in diameter, covering the sides as well. You could also lay the pastry on a rectangular tart tray.

Prick the pastry in various places with a fork and cover with some baking paper, weighed down with baking beans. Put in the oven and bake the pastry for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and the baking paper and leave aside.

Turn the oven temperature up to 200°C.

Cut the artichokes into fine slices, about 2-3 mm thick. Put in a bowl and mix with the tomatoes, the olive oil, the rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture over the pre-baked pastry and put back in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is crisp, but not longer because this dough is very similar to pizza's.

Leave the tart out of the oven to settle for a few minutes and then serve.