Pile on the fresh fruit and vegetables in these delicious, light recipes: a savoury tart with cheese and pears and an orange, fennel and olive salad.

Make your Christmas meals tasty and healthy, with some tips from “I Love Fruit & Veg from Europe” the international programme that promotes the purchase and conscious consumption of European fruit and vegetables in the UK, also in their organic and PDO / PGI versions, for a healthier and more sustainable diet. The project is supported by the Italian producer organizations Agritalia, A.O.A., La Deliziosa, Meridia and Terra Orti and co-funded by the European Commission.  Alongside traditional dishes, we suggest appetisers, savoury pies, salads and desserts all bursting with fruit and vegetables.

Fruit traditionally concludes a dinner, but it can also be served as a side dish: here we use pears and citrus fruits aplenty, such as oranges, clementines, tangerine and mandarins. Vegetables can be raw, cooked, fried or baked: the house will be filled with the colours and scents of fennel, broccoli, cauliflower, endive, pumpkin and spinach. Try this surprising appetiser – a cheese and pear savoury tart, prepared with shortcrust pastry and a classic combination of pears and cheese for the filling – to win over all your guests. The second course, either meat or fish, can be accompanied by a winter salad, prepared with oranges, fennel and olives – fresh, tasty and easy to prepare. Lastly, for dessert, a Christmas pumpkin cake!

Cheese and Pear Savoury Tart

(Serves eight)

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 35 minutes
• Resting time: one hour

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 350g Italian type 1 flour (light wholewheat)
• 100g dry white wine
• 100g extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• a sprig of fresh rosemary

For the filling:

• 5 medium/small Coscia pears
• 200g strong blue cheese, cut into pieces
• fresh rosemary

Method

Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry. Tip the flour, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and chopped rosemary needles into a bowl. Knead to form a smooth and firm dough, wrap it in cling film and rest for an hour in the fridge. After an hour, roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 0.5cm and place it in a 22cm diameter pie dish, lined with baking paper. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and scatter over the cheese. Keep a few small pieces for a later step. Cut the pears into uniform slices and arrange them on the tart. Bake at 200°C for 35 minutes. Once cooked, rest for five minutes, then scatter over the few cubes of cheese kept aside which will melt on the surface creating an even more attractive effect. You can serve the cheese and pear savoury tart while still warm, garnished with a few rosemary needles.

Orange, fennel and olive salad

(Serves eight)

Preparation time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 oranges
• 4 fennel bulbs
• 200g of olives
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Enjoy. It’s from Europe!