We are at the height of summer, which means a lot of tomatoes in every stand at the farmer’s market. You know what’s more delicious than tomatoes in a salad? Baked tomatoes. They become lightly sweet and juicy, with a crisp tart, it’s impossible not to eat the whole thing. The challenge is not to leave crumbs behind as evidence that there was once was an entire pie before the pictures…

I cooked with Izzy again, and this time she adapted a recipe, added more spices and after 20 minutes, I was holding my fingers from grabbing more. We ended up making two tarts, one for pictures and the other for…umm, extra tasting.

It’s actually hard to get this recipe wrong. The phyllo pastry sheets are delicate, but bake very quickly and are super crispy when done. Add cheese if you feel like it, but you won’t need extra creamy texture because the tofu does the job.

Tomato Tart

Adapted from this myvegancookbook recipe!

1/2 block firm tofu (7 oz.)
1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder/cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes or 8 regular tomato slices
1/2 cup chopped basil
12 phyllo pastry sheets
1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350º

1. In a food processor combine tofu, cornstarch, pepper, salt, garlic powder and lemon juice and blend until you have a smooth mixture (1 min or so).

2. Lay out a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil. Add one phyllo sheet and brush with olive oil and a dash of salt. Repeat with until you have 12 sheets and a nice, thick base. Roll the edges up to form a crust. Spread the filling on top of the base then arrange the tomatoes on top and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with basil. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until golden and the tomatoes are roasted. Serve warm or at room temperature!

photos by Pati Mo