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Artichoke and Broad Bean Tart with Watercress Pesto Recipe

★★★★★

4.5 from 758 reviews
  • Author: Sophie
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

A delicious and vibrant Artichoke & Broad Bean Tart featuring a crisp shortcrust pastry filled with a creamy ricotta and crème fraîche mixture, fresh broad beans, and tangy artichoke hearts, finished with a peppery watercress and pine nut pesto. Perfect as a light lunch or elegant dinner dish.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Tart

  • 500g pack shortcrust pastry
  • 500g broad beans
  • 2 x 250g tubs ricotta
  • 250ml tub crème fraîche
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 100g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative) or other hard cheese, grated
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 390g can or jar artichoke hearts, drained and halved

For the Watercress Pesto

  • 2 x 100g bags watercress
  • 50g pine nuts
  • 50g parmesan (or vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese), grated
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Pastry: Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Roll out the pastry and line a 28cm tart tin. Chill the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes to prevent shrinkage.
  2. Make Watercress Pesto: While the pastry chills, place the watercress, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blitz until a thick and smooth sauce forms. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
  3. Prepare Broad Beans: Cook the broad beans for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain and plunge them into cold water to cool quickly, then peel off the outer skins carefully. Set peeled beans aside.
  4. Blind Bake Pastry Case: Line the tart case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or ceramic baking weights. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans, then bake for another 15 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden.
  5. Make Filling: Reduce oven temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. In a bowl, mix ricotta and crème fraîche with the beaten eggs until smooth. Stir in grated cheese and lemon zest. Fold in the peeled broad beans carefully to avoid crushing.
  6. Assemble Tart: Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pre-baked tart shell. Arrange the halved artichoke hearts on top of the filling.
  7. Bake Tart: Return the tart to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling is just set and slightly golden on top. Remove from oven and let it rest briefly.
  8. Serve: Serve the tart warm accompanied by the fresh watercress pesto drizzled on the side or on top for an added burst of flavor.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a large 28cm tart tin, you can use two 20cm tart tins instead and bake for 30-35 minutes. You may have some filling left over.
  • Ensure the broad beans are peeled well to avoid bitterness and enhance texture in the tart.
  • Chilling the pastry before blind baking helps prevent shrinking and maintains a crisp crust.
  • Use vegetarian Parmesan if you want the tart to be suitable for vegetarians.
  • The watercress pesto adds a fresh, peppery flavor that complements the creamy and earthy filling perfectly.
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Category: Tart
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British

Keywords: artichoke tart, broad bean tart, watercress pesto, vegetarian tart, ricotta tart, spring vegetables, baked tart

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Find it online: https://cookwithsophie.com/artichoke-and-broad-bean-tart-with-watercress-pesto-recipe/