By Dave and Barb Poulsen
We love these savoury tarts at any time of the year… though they tend to end up as part of our Christmas Open House.
Makes 18? to ?24 tarts
½ lb ground beef
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
fairly fine
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ cup fresh mushrooms,
sliced (optional)
¼ cup red or green bell pepper,
diced (optional)
½ tsp cocoa powder
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp dried oregano, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp raisins
½ cup tomato sauce, salsa
(or 3 tbsp tomato paste mixed with 3 tbsp water)
½?–?¾ cup cheddar or jack cheese, shredded
½ cup sour cream
12? to 18 unbaked tart shells?–?depending on the size of the shells
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic until no pink left in meat. Drain well.
Add mushrooms, spices, honey, raisins and tomato sauce to ground beef mixture. Stir well and heat on low for 5? to 10 minutes. Fill each tart shell ¾ full with the meat mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F or until pastry is light brown in colour. Remove from oven. Top with 1 tbsp shredded cheese. Return to oven for 2 more minutes?—?until cheese melts. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream on top.
Notes:
*For all those folks out there who don’t like raisins, you will never know, once this recipe is complete, that the raisins are there… but they really add a nice flavour.
*If you’re in a hurry, you can brown the beef and onion, then add a ½ package of low salt taco seasoning to the beef along with enough water to make the mixture moist. Put mixture in tart shells. Top with cheese and bake as above.
