Tomato and basil ricotta tart recipe

A great picnic recipe. Although equally perfect for brightening the dinner table in Wintertime too. For a dairy-free option, make a tomato-sauce base and mix in some sun-dried tomatoes and paprika – just as delicious!

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 40 minutes

Makes: 6 Portions

Suitable from 12 months

Ingredients

• 1 roll of filo or puff pastry

• 4 tbsp of olive oil

• ​250g ricotta cheese

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• Salt and pepper

• ​300g mixed tomatoes (baby, plum, heritage), sliced into 2cm thick slices

• Piccolo tomato stir-in sauce

Method

• Heat oven to 180C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If using filo pastry, lay 1 sheet of filo pastry on parchment paper.

• Brush lightly with olive oil. Top with another sheet of filo; brush lightly with oil.

• Repeat until all filo sheets are stacked. Otherwise roll out the puff pastry to fit the tray.

• Lay a piece of baking paper over the top of the pastry, and line with baking beans or rice to blind bake the pastry (as the filling is quite wet).

• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Make the filling while the pastry is cooking.

• Slice the tomatoes, cutting out any extra seeds in the big tomatoes to reduce liquid. Sprinkle with a little salt and let rest.

• In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, basil, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste until well combined.

• Once the pastry is cooked, take it out of the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then spread the Piccolo stir-in tomato sauce and then the ricotta mixture over the top of the pastry, leaving 1in border along the edges

• Drain the excess liquid from the tomatoes and place them on top of the ricotta. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes until the dough is golden brown and flaky.

Piccolo range and recipes

Remember, you’re not going it alone. In fact, Piccolo’s infant nutrition specialist and nutritional chef, Alice Fotheringham, has put together loads of simple and tasty recipes online to help you whip up everything from first purees to finger foods, family dinners.

Also, for those non-stop days where life takes over, Piccolo pouches can come in super-handy. The wide range of wholesome recipes suitable for every stage of weaning.