Little Bistro Starters With Tomato And Pesto Recipes

LITTLE BISTRO STARTERS WITH TOMATO AND PESTO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius
• Use the butter to grease 4 muffin cups or loose-bottomed small tartlet tins.
• Open up the phyllo sheets: you need 4 sheets, one on top of the other. You might need extra sheets, depending on size of your phyllo sheets. Cut into squares large enough to fit into your molds.
• Line the greased muffin cups or tartlet tins with the 4-sheet thick phyllo squares. Push in gently. It will wrinkle at the sides, of course; that's the idea.
• With kitchen scissors, cut off the overhanging edges of the phyllo, but not too close to the top.
• Brush the phyllo cups generously all over with the olive oil.
• Place a tablespoon of pesto in the bottom of the phyllo cups.
• Top with the unpeeled 3/4 inch thick tomato slice, sliced crosswise. You might find that a small tomato (top cut off and cut into two, through the centre) yields two thick slices and fits neatly into the pastry on top of the pesto.
• Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon sugar and a tiny pinch salt over each tomato half.
• Sprinkle fairly generously with pepper.
• Put the cheese of your choice on top -- goats' cheese (chèvre) really is best.
• Drizzle a swirl of virgin olive oil over each tartlet.
• Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until pastry turns golden.
• Serve warm, not hot from the oven.
• (Recipe can be doubled or tripled).

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND PESTO STACK

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse 1/2 cup walnuts until finely chopped. Add 2 cups basil and garlic, and pulse while slowly adding 1/2 cup oil, scraping down sides as needed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add Parmesan; season with salt and black pepper; process until pesto is well combined. Heat oven to 400°F. Brush eggplant slices with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with sea salt; roast on a baking sheet, turning once, until tender and golden, 20 minutes. Top each with 1 tablespoon pesto. Alternately layer 2 eggplant slices, 2 tomato slices and 1 slice mozzarella. (Refrigerate any remaining pesto for another use.) Divide balsamic vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons walnuts and basil leaves among stacks.