Individual Tomato and Pesto Tarts

A packet of ready rolled puff pastry from the freezer. TICK.
2 large tomatoes - ordinary, everyday ones will be just fine. TICK.
Some pesto - fresh or deli counter or from a jar .... doesn't really matter. TICK.
A drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. TICK.

And there you have it - all you'll be needing to rustle up these particularly tasty + oh so very easy Tomato and Pesto Tarts.

There are 6 quick stages to making these Tomato and Pesto Tarts and the stages look like this -

1. Cut the ready rolled pastry into 6 equal squares and place the squares on 2 greased baking trays. To be certain that there will be no hideous 'puff pastry sticking to the tray like glue' situation, I also lightly flour the trays.

2. Now use a sharp knife to mark a thin border around the edges of the pastry squares. DON'T CUT THROUGH the pastry - you really are just marking the crust of the tart here. Then use a fork to gently pierce inside the border - this will prevent the centre of the tart from puffing up. It doesn't always happen but when it does, it's annoying. There's also something rather meditative about the fork piercing ...

3. Next, put a large teaspoon of pesto in the centre of each square and spread it gently to the edge of the border.

4. Now slice up your tomatoes and arrange them neatly on the pastry squares - it's good if the slices overlap a little. (Woops - I forgot to take a photo of this stage ... I'm sure you can fill in the gaps.)
5. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Then using a pastry brush, gently brush a little milk or beaten egg around the borders of the tarts - this will help the pastry to brown in the oven.
6. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

They are one of my favourite dishes for a quick lunch, or perhaps a speedy dinner served with some Easy Oven Chips or maybe a Bulgur Wheat and Pepper Salad and a few leaves. Ideal in a picnic too.

So here's why these Tomato and Pesto Tarts are sure to be added to your repertoire -

• There's no pastry making involved and not even any rolling - and in fact, the trickiest thing you'll need to do is slice the tomatoes.
• In all likelihood, you'll either have all the ingredients already or you'll be able to pick them up from your most local of local shops.
• These tarts are very flexible. I topped them with a few Kalamata olives, a little feta cheese and some torn basil. You could easily sprinkle them with a few fried lardons (drain them on some kitchen roll first) and a few parmesan shavings or how about a little flaked salmon for a boost of pink. They're also lovely just left simple and au naturel. The choice is yours.
• Great when you need a vegetarian option.
• And they're rather easy on the eye too wouldn't you say.

So, what are you waiting for? ....

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