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Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

Dinner with Rukmini

Browse all of the recipes in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbooks by ingredient.

Asparagus, Pomegranate and Pine Nut Tarts

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Asparagus, Pomegranate and Pine Nut Tarts

As delicious to eat as they are to look at, these moreish vegan tarts are quick to make and don’t hold back on flavour.
Serves: 2
Total 35 min
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Easy

Introduction from Rukmini Iyer

Asparagus and buttery pine nuts are a wonderful combination and, with the pops of sweetness from the pomegranate, they work beautifully in these easy yet show stopping tarts. Bought puff pastry (in a green box) is helpfully vegan-friendly, though this dish is so nice I’d make it for non-vegans too.

Ingredients

1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled vegan puff pastry
3 heaped tbsp vegan green pesto
125g asparagus spears (often sold as ‘asparagus tips’)
½ tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt flakes
4 tbsp chopped pine nuts
½ pomegranate, seeds only
½ lemon, juice only
lemon-dressed spinach salad

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Cut 2 rectangles of puff pastry the right length and width to hold your asparagus spears with a 1½ cm border on each side, as opposite. (You will have a fair bit of leftover pastry, see the note below for ideas on what to do with it.)

Spread your 2 pastry rectangles with the vegan pesto, leaving that 1½ cm border, then lay the asparagus over the top. Brush the spears with the olive oil, scatter over the sea salt, then cover thickly with a blanket of chopped pine nuts.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and risen. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds, squeeze over the lemon juice and serve with the spinach salad alongside.

NOTE: Things to do with leftover puff pastry: cut into small rectangles, roll up with chopped dark chocolate inside and bake as mini pain au chocolat. Cut into small squares, add a spoonful of jam, then pinch together for jam puffs. Or follow Laura Goodman’s recipe for lime pickle cheese straws from her fabulous book Carbs.

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