Читать книгу Simple Beginnings: Beading - Aiden Byrne - Страница 24

SERVES 4

4 sheets of filo pastry

100 ml olive oil

4 thyme sprigs

3 onions, peeled and finely sliced

4 large sprigs of thyme

50 g butter

250 g cep mushrooms

6 baby aubergines

2 garlic cloves, sliced

50 g Parmesan cheese shaving

buckler sorrel leaves, to garnish

salt

MAKE SURE THAT YOU always keep filo pastry covered with a slightly damp tea towel so that it doesn’t dry out. You will need two heavy, cast-iron baking trays, preferably the same size. Put a sheet of greaseproof paper on one of the trays, and place the first piece of filo on this. Brush it with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a small amount of salt and then scatter over one-third of the thyme leaves. Put a second sheet of filo on top and repeat the process, then add the third and fourth sheets in the same way. Brush the top with olive oil and cover with another piece of greaseproof paper. Put the second baking tray on top of the filo ‘sandwich’, making sure that the pastry is fully covered, and put a weight on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 140°C/275°F/gas 1 for 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven. When the pastry is crisp, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.

IN A WARM covered pan sweat the onions, thyme sprigs and a sprinkle of salt with the butter until the onions are very soft. Remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 30–40 minutes until the onions begin to caramelize. When the onions are golden brown, check the seasoning: you should be able to taste the salt but the natural sweetness of the onions should also be evident. Transfer the onions to a tray to cool down then set aside. (I keep a jar of onions at this stage in the refrigerator to use in other recipes. You will find that if you don’t drain away the butter it will act as a preservative.)

SLICE THE MUSHROOMS and the aubergines evenly lengthways so that you can see their natural shape and then pan-fry them both in olive oil with a few garlic slices and a sprinkle of salt until golden brown. Drain onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

SPREAD THE ONION lyonaisse over the tart and layer the aubergines and ceps on top, piling them up as much as you like. Top with the shaved Parmesan and bake for a couple more minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Serve the tart with a crisp sorrel salad and some more Parmesan shavings.

This is a dish we came up with a couple of years ago, and it appears on the menu only in the asparagus season, when it sells like hot cakes. It’s a play on the classic recipe, and at the restaurant we pair it with smoked bacon and with morel mushrooms, which are in season at almost the same time as English asparagus. If you wish, you can simply serve the poached asparagus and the mayonnaise foam.