Fig, Balsamic Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese Tart
Yes, that’s correct, A fig, balsamic caramelised onion and goats cheese tart! Delectable, and not overly difficult! This recipe was made using ingredients you can find from Flannerys Organic Stores!
You will need:
Crust
1 x can chickpeas
1 x cup Flannerys OWN buckwheat flour
½ x cup Flannerys OWN almond meal
1 x tsp baking powder
2 x sprigs of thyme
¼ cup olive oil
2 x tbsp. water
generous sprinkle of salt
Filling
2-3 x large red onions
2 x tsp olive oil
6 x tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
2 x cups Flannerys OWN dried figs
2 x 150g Absolute organic Goats cheese
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a blender or food processor add the chickpeas, buckwheat flour, almond meal, baking powder and thyme, and blend until the chickpeas are blended with no lumps left.
3. Add the olive oil, salt and water and continue to blend. The mixture will begin to form a dough
4. Once the dough has formed, in a tart tray lined with baking paper, press the dough into the corners and up the side of the dish to form the crust. Once all edges are covered, place crust into the oven for 10 minutes.
5. In the meantime, slice the onions, and in a pan on medium heat add the olive oil and sute onions for 2-4 minutes until beginning to turn translucent and soft.
6. Add the balsamic, honey and salt and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the onions caramelise and the balsamic reduces to a glaze.
7. Chop the dried figs, and arrange 1 layer of the goats cheese and figs in the tart crust, then layer some of the thyme, onions and more goat’s cheese and place back into the oven for 20 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and slice. Serve hot.
GF
Onions are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. They have been extensively researched for their antimicrobial, antiantioxidant and antidiabetic properties. Onions contain vitamins such as B1, B6, vitamin C and K, minerals such as chromium, phenolic compounds such as quercetin, and more importantly anythocyanins in the red varieties, and sulphur containing amino acids important for liver detoxification and antioxidant production. They’re also a good source of dietary fibre therefore known to be avoided when following a low FODMAP diet.
Onions potent antioxidant activity has been associated with the reduction of oxidative compounds, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Overproduction of ROS has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many disease states due to their damaging affects on DNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. They have also been shown to have significant blood glucose lowering affects similar to that of medication. The mechanism by which has been thought to be through increasing the half-life of insulin due to a constituent found in onions competing for breakdown sites in the liver thereby increasing the lifespan of insulin increasing the amount of glucose uptaken by cells from the blood.
The antioxidant concentrations of onions have been found to be in the outer most layers of the onions so ensure when removing layers from the outside on the onions you peel only the necessary layers off.
