Look what I’ve baked today! Some colorful whole wheat brisè tartlets, stuffed with potatoes, ricotta (or quark), and vegetables that I served yesterday and they were a hit!
Welcome back, dear friends, I finally returned to writing recipes! After a fifteen-day break due to commitments that prevented me from dedicating myself to the blog and cooking… I mean, cooking something more elaborate than plain pasta… today I’m here again! Because my colleagues from Light and Tasty chose a theme I couldn’t resist: takeaway!
My crew has a real fondness for easy foods, street foods, foods you can eat with your hands, foods you can eat standing or take along for an outing or a picnic… we’re beach folks, and takeaway suits us just fine!
Torn between many ideas, I finally cooked these individual rustic pies that I’d planned for a long time.
Months ago, I bought leeks specifically, but then I had to change plans, leaving me with an annoying sense of incompleteness. Does it happen to you too? To stay with that itch, and keep buying the ingredients until the right day finally arrives?
Well, the day arrived thanks to Light and Tasty. 😃
These brisè tartlets are ideal for takeaway because they’re good hot or warm but also cold, the filling remains firm, and you can easily eat them with your hands. They’re perfect for meals but also great for a snack, can be taken to work for lunch break, put in the basket for a Sunday outing or beach lunch (we’re almost there!!!), or served at a buffet or with an aperitif, in this case maybe making them in a mini version, i.e., using smaller molds for finger food.
We loved them, and I have no doubt you will, too, for their simplicity, few and healthy ingredients, and for their truly easy preparation (and this especially pleases those who have to cook! 😃).
Enjoy your meal!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for 6 tartlets
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp corn oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 potatoes (14 oz)
- 7 oz ricotta
- 3 1/2 oz quark (or another light spreadable cheese)
- 7 oz bell peppers
- 3 1/4 oz leek
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste marjoram
- to taste rosemary
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 6 Molds silicone individual molds
- Oven Sfornatutto
Method
Prepare the whole wheat brisè: put the whole wheat flour, water, and oil in a bowl. Knead briefly by hand to form a dough, then cover it with cling film or just a plate.
Cook the potatoes: peel them, cut them into pieces, soak them in cold water for about ten minutes, drain and cook them.
As usual, I cooked them in the microwave; for 14 oz, it took me 5 and a half minutes (plus 5 minutes of resting), but you can cook them as you like.
Once cooked, mash the potatoes with a fork, season them with a drizzle of oil, and let them cool.
Assemble the tartlets: divide the brisè into 6 parts, roll them out with a rolling pin thinly, like small flatbreads (but Rimini flatbreads eh 😃).
Place the dough in tartlet or mini pie molds (I used silicone molds).
If you don’t have molds, you can work on a sheet of baking paper, as the filling is dry and doesn’t spill.
Cut the excess dough using a knife or a pastry wheel.
It’s good to add the scraps (to prevent them from drying out) to the dough yet to be used (in the bowl covered with a plate).
Fill the dough with the mashed potatoes, ricotta (or quark), and vegetables.
I used quark in the versions with leek and ricotta in those with bell peppers.
Season each layer with rosemary and marjoram and a pinch of pepper. To add more flavor, you can also use minced garlic (*).
As the last layer, place the (raw) bell peppers cut into strips and the leek in rings.
For a more generous filling, you can double the amount of vegetables by adding an inner layer between the potatoes and cheese.
Or, for a vegan version, you can replace the cheese layer with a second layer of potatoes, or even better, mashed tofu puree, to keep the protein component.
Fold the brisè edge.
I brushed the edge with a little milk (but it’s an optional step).
Bake at 350°F.
Cook the tartlets for 20-25 minutes, cooking time varies depending on the molds used, direct baking on parchment paper is a bit shorter than with molds.
And now let me show you the carrot tartlet I had to make for my son because he doesn’t eat bell peppers or leeks 😅
I didn’t list the carrot among the ingredients so… you decide whether to try this variant too or not! 😃
And if you prefer to make your brisè tartlets in a pie style, here’s how to complete them:
I just need to wish you a good takeaway lunch, a good packed snack, a good lunch break at the office, a good Sunday outing, a good birthday party, a good aperitif on the terrace, good… good ones!
These whole wheat brisè tartlets with leeks, bell peppers, and carrots are indeed good!! 😃😋🤗
(*) Salt-Free Tips
Here are some tricks to season these brisè tartlets without using salt.
Firstly, the addition of minced garlic, which I suggested in the method, and the addition of other aromatic herbs, such as parsley and mint. Also, a useful and tasty option is covering the edge with sesame seeds (after brushing the edge with milk to make the seeds stick), during baking, the sesame will toast, releasing its unmistakable aroma and flavor.
Enjoy!
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▪ Gradually reduce the salt, as the palate needs to get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▪ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▪ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▪ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▪ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▪ Use my unsalted vegetable granules and gomasio.
▪ Prefer fresh foods.
▪ Avoid water-based cooking, prefer cooking methods that retain flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▪ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▪ Occasionally allow yourself a small indulgence. It’s good for the mood and helps to persist.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▪ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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The other Light and Tasty recipes:
I wonder what takeaway ideas my colleagues came up with! Find them at the following links: 👇
Carla Emilia: Stuffed Eggplants
Daniela: Unleavened Bread Squares with Dandelion, Arugula, Spinach and Ricotta
Elena: Soft Apple Cake with Yogurt
Franca: ‘Cosaruciari’ Bean Salad
Mary: Individual Apple Crumble
Milena: Takeaway Salad
