Cooking With Dia

It’s Asparagus season, and I have been meaning to make something with it for the past month. I just so happened to bump into some lovely British grown asparagus at Whole Foods shop yesterday, and so I took it home with me!

I know that any time making a tart involving puff pastry may be a bit daunting if you are on the gluten free diet, but I have been using the recipe linked below for quite some time and find it works really well. It is also freezable, so you can make a block of it and put it away for when you need it. Just make sure to defrost it thoroughly and bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

For the Chili Hummus

1 jalapeno pepper
2 bird’s eye peppers
1 1/2 cans of chickpeas drained (approx. 600 grams of chickpeas)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic

For the Topping:

200 gram bunch of asparagus
100 gram bunch of spring onions (scallions)
1 habanero pepper (if you dare)
1 tablespoon of safflower oil
salt
half a lemon

For the Gluten Free & Vegan Puff Pastry

Follow the recipe I used for my Apple Tart here.
This is freezable, and you will need to roll out enough to cover an 18 x 13 baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 220°Celsius (428° Fahrenheit)

Roll out your puff pastry and place on the baking sheet.

In a food processor blend the chick peas, garlic, olive oil, jalapeno and bird’s eye peppers.

Scoop out the mixture (hummus) and spread on the puff pastry.

If you are using thin asparagus there is no need to slice them in half, but if you are using thick asparagus slice them in half because we don’t want to have to blanch them beforehand.

Slice the spring onions in half.

Align the asparagus and spring onions how you like on top of the hummus. I alternated asparagus and spring onions, but you don’t have to do it that way.

Top with the habanero pepper which should be seeded and chopped beforehand. Beware! This pepper is EXTREMELY HOT. Make sure to wash your hands after handling it!!!

Squeeze the lemon over the top.

Brush on the safflower oil and prick the edges of the pastry with a fork, that way it puffs up better.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes and then turn down the heat to 180°Celsius (356° Fahrenheit) and bake for a further 25 minutes or until the asparagus is sliceable.

This really is a moreish dish that you can use for a dinner party. If you are like me, and love spicy food this is something very quick and easy to make. Enjoy!!!!!

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