Spinach and Feta Tart

I am really feeling great. Life is beautiful, and so is my lovely wife. Surely I am feeling wonderful and in part it is also because I stick to the three pillars of healthy living: regular exercise, health diet and sufficient sleep.

Sometimes we tend not to belief in simple advice, but … usually there is only one way to find out: try it!

Accordingly, in order to find out, whether you like my dish for today, you simply have to try it: Spinach and Feta Tart. 

Well, there was some kind of pondering going on in my head, whether I should call it Spinach and Feta Tart or Feta and Spinach Tart. Looking at the ingredients, there would have been other options, too, like Spinach, Feta and Pine-nut Tart. Continuing from that one, yet more options would have been possible: Feta, Spinach and Pine-nut Tart or Pine-nut, Spinach and Feta Tart or Pine-nut, Feta and Spinach Tart. Then there is the option of abbreviating things: SF-Tart, FS-Tart, FSP-Tart, PSF-Tart, PFS-Tart, SFP-Tart or SPF-Tart … and we haven’t even mentioned there is garlic involved as well, nor is there any hint towards the kind of pastry used.

Nothing of that doesn’t really matter, so we stick with Spinach and Feta Tart. After all those are the main heroes. Here we go with the recipe …

Ingredients:
400 g puff pastry
Knob of butter
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
500 g spinach
1 tsp. nutmeg
200 ml cream
200 g feta
80 g pine-nuts
2 eggs
Salt and pepper

Method:Lightly oil your tart tin. I just rub it all over with butter, fine only the inside of course. Then line it with the puff pastry. It could look somewhat like this …

In a large pan, melt the knob of butter and then add the finely chopped onion and garlic. Fry them until translucent. Get your fresh spinach ready and wilt it down in the pan, even bit by bit when your pan can’t hold it at the same time. Season with nutmeg.

Get yourself a large bowl and mix the crumbled feta, cream, pine-nuts and the two eggs. Once the spinach is ready, incorporate the contents of the pan in the bowl as well. Season with salt and pepper.

All that goes now onto the puff pastry and then into the pre-heated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes. Honestly, I always try every dishes at 180 °C for 30 minutes. That’s my favourite baking temperature and time. In between I check, though, if it’s necessary to reduce or extend the time. Once the Spinach and Feta Tart got some nice colour to it, I reckon, we are ready to remove it from the oven.

It already has been a while since I did it and I nearly lost the recipe since I forgot to take notes, but since I have been rejuvenated recently, it worked well with my brain.

At this point, you just need to slice up the tart, serve it and enjoy it.

That should be possible. I don’t know what you think, but the combination of spinach and feta somehow sounds Greek to me. Just a feeling. If you like to give it a more Greek touch, you should use a few sheets of filo pastry instead of just normal puff pastry. Optionally you could also drink an Ouzo or two while preparing it. It’s entirely up to you, though.

Anyway, dig in …

See you another time then. I only need to watch now, how this rejuvenation thing is working out, how far it will take me back and, whether, it will result even in doing some stupid things …

Tomato & Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart

The sun is out and shining brightly, warming up everything. What a delight ... if you like that kind of weather. We just had a bit over 30 ºC today. Isn't that lovely? Again, only if you like it that way. Well, I do. However, it doesn't make me feel I have to be out all the time and get as much of the sun as possible, or that I have to have loads and loads of ice cream and cold drinks, including beer. It's fine, Spring is at it's best and you can get a lot of different food items fresh, locally. On my way to work, they have already set up that strawberry hut next to the strawberry field. That means in the coming days after work, when I have made it up the hill and have regained a bit breath, I can go for it. I will see about that.
In the meantime, I finally managed to work a bit with fresh green asparagus. First of all I had those with the bacon wrapped around it to eat together with soft-boiled eggs. Very, very delicious!
Then I went to roast some in my griddle pan. Not bad!
As the last one I tried out this ...

... a puff pastry tart with asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Have a closer look then ...

Ingredients:
5 asparagus spears
5 cherry tomatoes, sliced
Sheet of puff pastry (about 350 g)
100 ml crème fraîche
100 g firm goat cheese
Salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence
1 egg
Olive oil

Method:
To begin with, I blanched the asparagus for about 5 minutes.
Then I broke the goat cheese into pieces and mixed it together with the crème fraîche, egg, salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence.
On a slightly oiled baking tray I placed the puff pastry and folded in the sides a little bit.
After that I spread or rather poured over the crème fraîche mixture. Strangely it went a bit over.
As you see in the picture I placed the asparagus spears slightly pushed into the mixture and arranged the slices of tomato between them.
The tray went to the pre-heated oven at 180 ºC for 30 minutes. Somehow that seems to be my favourite oven temperature and time, strangely. Well, there are many things I don't understand. Also, I feel like drizzling some olive oil over the finished baked tart.
Whatsoever, just make sure that the puff pastry tart doesn't get burned in the oven. You wouldn't want that nor like it.
The way the tomato & asparagus puff pastry tart turned out, it tasted lovely. So, you have to grab the opportunity while it's there ...
Maybe the sun will also shine tomorrow or will even shine for me in a different kind of way ...

Telly ... Brain ... Plate ... Chicken Pie

While I was doing some research for the Bloggers Around the World South Africa, I came across Masterchef South Africa. Did I tell you this before or am I having a déjà vu? Oh ... either way it would mean my brain is not functioning properly. That wasn't what I wanted to get to.
Anyway, in that episode the contestants where supposed to visit a restaurant, sample a dish and then cook it. Something like that I like as well. Fine, for one team it was chicken pie. From that moment I fancied to make chicken pie. 
Apparently that was about one month ago.
Now I like to share with you what got to my plate after it went from the telly through my (malfunctioning?) brain ...

Hot Fusion - Hot Chilli Puff Pastry Tarte

Cold fusion: Hypothetical type of nuclear reaction that would occur at, or near room temperature. Usually you need millions of degrees for a fusion of nuclear kind of reaction. This is a controversial subject. The whole concept appears to defy the laws of physics. Some scientists believe cold fusion to be a real phenomenon and that it will be at one point in the future, however far far away, the basis for an abundant, cheap source of energy. Others say that cold fusion is impossible.

Well then, it's quite good, we are not dealing with cold fusion today, but with hot fusion. How do we come to this point?
As it happens to be I'm busy trying to grow my own chillies on the windowsill.

Having them is one part, but actually it's not for the sake of growing, but cooking. I need to do something with them. These are (were) my only two habanero chillies. Those are considered to be quite hot ... and so something else should be, too ... Yes, I'm referring to the weather. Some days it might work out.
Ahem ... what to do now with the habanero chilli? I just took the yellow one. The green one still needs some time. Fine, I could do a chilli, a real hot one ...

Tea Time: Tipsy Blueberry Mini Bakewell Tart

What come to your mind, when you think about tea time? Simply having a cup of tea? Or will there definitely some lovely tea time treats? Sweet of Savoury?
Then there is also the question, what kind of teat you will have. At my place it can be quite a challenge. I think I have about 1,000,000 types of different tea ... or maybe a little less. It's simply a lot: tea bags, loose tea, green tea, black tea, red tea, fruit tea, herbal tea, flavoured black tea with, orange, cherry, marzipan, toffee or spices like cinnamon or cardamom, and so on. Here is a small part of my tea tin collection ...

Look to the front, I also found something else: sugar sticks. They are a nice way to sweeten your tea and are looking good. In case of emergency you can have them as a treat as well. 

Anything else? Is there any tea grown in your area. Sorry to say, English tea is not grown in England, but, hey, no worries. 
No matter how you like your tea time, a good cuppa is always appreciated and can be helpful to wind down or simply let your worries slip back into the shadows.

I don't know about you, but I like my tea time treats sweet. I still have fond memories of the last bakewell tart I had. That's why I decided to mess a bit with the recipe and adjust it minimally to my needs ... make it smaller, make it a Tipsy Blueberry Mini Bakewell Tart. 
Oh ... what a shame ... now I wrote what I didn't want to, because I don't want you to get me wrong. The 'Tipsy' part is not the adjustment to my needs, it's the 'Mini' part. Puh, I hope you believe me.

Well, from the amount of ingredients you still could do a normal sized one, but that way we are having four small ones.

Ingredients:
250 g puff pastry
4 tbs blueberry preserve or ...
3 eggs
120 g sugar
120 g butter, melted
50 ground almonds
2 tbs almonds schnaps of amaretto
Vanilla icing sugar for dusting

Method:
The first task is to get the puff pastry divided among four pastry cases. Try to make it fit nicely and remove any protruding pastry at the edges. I wish I would be a bit more skillful at those things.
Prick the pastry at the bottom with a fork and then get a tablespoon of blueberry preserve on each of the four corresponding bottoms.
Get yourself a bowl an crack in the eggs. Did it ever happen to you when cracking an egg that just the shell breaks easily, but the thin membrane beneath it remains intact? Strange!
Whatever, pour in the sugar and whisk it together whisk the eggs until it looks not too orange anymore.
Then add the ground almonds, almond schnaps (or amaretto), and the melted butter. Whisk through to mix well. Divide the frangipane mixture among the four pastry cases by pouring it over the blueberry preserve. Fine! So far we managed quite good and easily.
Now transfer it to the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.
When ready and the almond-egg mixture has set properly get it out. Serve them with icing sugar sprinkled on top. You may wait with that until they have cooled down ... or you may just go for it.

I have a another cuppa!!! 

Oh, I enjoyed that very much, I think after a year it's time to use it again and link it up to Bloggers Around the World: Great Britain.

Tarte d'oignon avec fromage

Encore un peu de cuisine français, mais je ne parle pas français.C'est la vie! Il n'y a pas de souci! I don't necessarily need to speak French to enjoy some French food and neither need you.
However, it wouldn't do any harm. Since I have been to Paris, memories of it keep coming up ...

... and would I be more fluent in French, well ... who knows ...

Whatsoever, there are things I can do, like cooking some French and France inspired food. For example I got this new book in my collection The little Paris kitchen by Rachel Khoo. I simply couldn't resist ...

Why, I already have tried a few things from the book, like Poireaux vinagrette avec œuf poché et jambon de Bayonne ...

... and then also Nids de brielette ...

... while I've done this, I also came up with a version of a Tarte d'oignon avec fromage ... with Rouqefort to be precise.
Here we go then ...

Ingredients:
1 tbs of butter
3 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried rosemary
100 ml white wine
2 tsp Dijon mustard
150 g Roquefort
250 g double cream
275 g puff pastry

Preparation:
Melt the butter on low heat in a pan. Then add the onions and sauté for 15 minutes. Then add the garlic and let go for another 10 minutes.
Now put in the rosemary and pour over the white wine. Let things simmer until most of the white one is gone again.
Once that is achieved mix in the mustard, double cream and the Roquefort cheese.
Get a suitable dish ready for your tarte and fit in the puff pastry. Done! Spread over the onion and cheese mixture.
Transfer your tarte for 35 minutes to the oven at 200°C.
Enjoy your tarte d'oignon avec fromage.

Well, that's one of the few words of French that clearly stick to my mind 'avec fromage'. I don't think it gets you far, when you finish every sentence with 'avec fromage'. I'm not quite sure I want to try it.
Whatsoever, I definitely know, that I'm in the wrong place ...

Simple Ricotta and Ham Puff Pastry Swirls

Who wouldn't like to have a quick and simple snack available for visitors!? Maybe those that never get any visitors ...
Since it is so convenient I very often have ready puff pastry available at home. I never tried to make it by myself before, but maybe this would be something for the to do list. Then again it might be a bit at the bottom end of the top 100.
Anyway, now we want to do a quick and simple snack with that conveniently ready puff pastry and a few other things ...

Ingredients:
275 g puff pastry (depends on the size they sell it)
250 g ricotta
100 g ham, cut into small pieces
25 g chopped dried tomatoes (optional)
A hand full of chopped basil
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Method:
Mix all the ingredients apart from the puff pastry, of course, together in a bowl (or if you have any other ideas on how to do it, just go ahead). After all we want to keep it simple.
Then roll out your puff pastry and spread over it the ham and ricotta mix. Then roll it together so you are having a nice ... eh ... roll ...

While you could put this already in the oven, I decided to cut them at this point. I said we are having ricotta and ham puff pastry swirls. Cutting about 2-3 cm swirls will be fine.

At this point they go to the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.

Now you can go ahead and serve them. For what occasion would you use those simple ricotta and ham puff pastry swirls?

I freak out or ... rather have some Puff Pastry Courgette Tarts

I had a beautiful day yesterday ... not!
Anyway, no need to complain. All settled! I came home kind of late-ish, moved around some furniture in the living room just for the wind of change, went to the kitchen to do some cooking for one hour or even more and ... had some chilli sin carne, but instead with about 10 hot chillies. Well, that should have settled things ...
But now there is another day and lots of time to do lovely things, digging a bit in memories and preparing some nice puff pastry courgette and bacon tarts.

Those are lovely as a snack or an entrée. Well, you will figure that out by yourself anyway.
Well, before we can start, I just like to mention something else.
Two other things lately happened in my life. I started reading a book about food photography and I found my old camera. I hope I will be able to work with that a bit.
Let's get the puff pastry and other things ready and start cooking or baking or ... ah ... just do it.

Ingredients:
250 g sour cream (yeah, we could call them Puff Pastry Sour Cream Courgette and Bacon Tarts, if you prefer that)
125 g cubes of bacon (or goats cheese for a vegetarian version)
Leaves of 3 sprigs of thyme
Pepper
1 small courgette, cut into small cubes
1 egg
275 g of puff pastry (or in whatever size they sell it)

Method:
The first step is very very simple. Just mix everything apart from the puff pastry together in an appropriate sized bowl.

Then roll out your puff pastry. Cut the pastry into squares and then cut angles in two opposite corners of the squares as you can hopefully see on the picture.
Yes, I forgot a few cuts before I made the picture. Found out later. No worries!

Place one tablespoon of filling on each square or in other words, divide the filling among those squares.
Now you can fold those cut corners towards the middle and stick them together somehow.
With having achieved that, they go into the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C. They should gain at least some colour.
After that you can enjoy your puff pastry courgette and bacon tarts.
If you can not enjoy them, because you don't want to eat bacon, simply do a vegetarian version with maybe some strong and tasty cheese. I would go for goats cheese. I can imagine that to be very lovely as well.

This is how the puff pastry tarts would have looked 6 months ago.
No, we can not sell it that way.

Maybe some decoration ... a sprig of parsley will do. A bit better. I'm not sure. We should do some more. Well, there is still a lot to learn and bit by bit things can be improved.

What about some background. Anyway, I look really look forward to read through that book. So far I haven't even finished the first chapter.
I hope you can't resist those puff pastry tarts and give them a shot. If, let me know, how you liked them.

Quick Bagna Cauda Puff Pastry Pie

When cooking only for one person you quickly might end up with leftovers. On the other hand, that can happen to anyone, no matter for how many people you cook.
Anyway, I don't want to bother you with talk about leftovers. I might repeat myself and I don't like to check whether I wrote the same thing already. There comes a point in life, when you don't know anymore. Hm, well, there comes a point in life, when ... eh ... you have to do what you have to do. I'm not sure if I'm already there.
However, this has no relevance right now. 
In case you have been reading my blog already for longer then just this post (otherwise: Welcome to my blog!), you might remember those dishes from the Two Greedy Italians. One thing I had on the list was Bagna Cauda, which didn't turn out to be quite thin.
Having still some left of that and not wanting to simply dip bread into it, I planned for something else ...

How did I get there? Just read on about the Quick Bagna Cauda Puff Pastry Pie ...

Ingredients you may need (to adjust):
4 large potatoes
olive oil
3 onions
100 g cheddar cheese
100 ml bagna cauda (or few cloves of garlic, anchovies, double cream, butter)
about 300 g ready made puff pastry
salt, pepper
one beaten egg

Just do it:
Peel the potatoes and pre-cook them for 10-15 minutes.
Slice the onions in rings and soften them gently in a pan with some olive oil.
When the potatoes are ready and you are not afraid of the heat, cut them in cubes and add to the onions.
Away from the heat (we are finished with that heat now) pour the bagna cauda to it and grate the cheese in. If wanted, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Line your pie dish with 3/5 of the pastry. Fill in your potato-onion-cheese mixture.

That is how it look in my case. Now it's time to cover it with the remaining pastry and then to brush it with the egg wash. After that sent it to the oven at 180°C for about 35-45 minutes until the pastry is nice and crispy (you'll figure it out).

Once it is ready, you can serve it with a simple salad. There might be leftovers again, when you are eating alone, though ... some things can not be avoided.
Well, we might have spent more then one hour cooking for that now. What in the world, does this have to do with QUICK Bagna Cauda Puff Pastry Pie?
Right! While that thing is in the oven, you can do something else and after all you don't have to prepare the pastry. That would have taken you still some more time.