Crispy Chicken And Cheesy Spinach Tart Food

CHICKEN AND SPINACH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, place the chicken skin in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat, being careful to keep the skin as flat as possible. Cook, flipping over halfway, for about 2 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the fat has rendered out. Remove the skin from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and wilt for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove the spinach from the pan and set aside.
• To the same pan, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is free of any lumps and light tan in color, about 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium, slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the cheese, whisking to combine, and cook until it is melted and the sauce is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the chicken stock, lemon juice, yellow mustard and hot sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
• Add the drained pasta, wilted spinach and pulled chicken to the sauce. Stir to combine. Crumble the crispy chicken skin on top and serve immediately.

CRISPY CHICKEN AND CHEESY SPINACH TART

Steps:

• Prepare Crispy Chicken Strips according to package directions. Set aside, but keep oven on. Slice Crispy Chicken Strips when cooled.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and sauté garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cream and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes whisking continuously. Remove from heat and add Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper and stir until cheese melts. Set aside.
• While cheese sauce is being prepared, heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring often until onions are tender. Add spinach, cover and heat for 5 minutes stirring often until spinach has wilted. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
• To assemble, lay out pie crusts on parchment lined baking sheets. Spread half of cheese sauce in the middle of the crusts leaving 1½ inches around the edge without any cheese sauce. On top of sauced pie crusts, evenly divide the wilted spinach, caramelized onions, Crispy Chicken Strips, Asiago cheese and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Fold outside edges up and in over filling, center will remain without pie crust covering. Crimp with your fingers as you move around so that pie crust holds the filling. Brush egg wash over the edges of the crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

CRISPY GREEK-STYLE PIE

Steps:

• Put the spinach into a large pan. Pour over a couple tbsp water, then cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve, leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into a bowl along with the spinach, feta and eggs. Mix well.
• Carefully unroll the filo pastry. Cover with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet of pastry and brush liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil. Drape oil-side down in a 22cm loosebottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.

SPINACH MADELEINE TART WITH CHEESY PASTRY

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unravel the pastry on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle the 2 tbsp of hard cheese over one half of the pastry along with ½ tsp cayenne and a crack of black pepper. Fold the other half of the pastry over to close it like a book, and roll out, squashing the cheese in the middle, until it fits into a 22cm tart tin with an overhang. Prick the base with a fork, cover with a sheet of parchment and fill with baking beans. Cook for 15 mins, then remove the parchment and beans. Bake for 10-15 mins until lightly golden, then leave to cool in the tin.
• Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Spoon small piles of the remaining hard cheese (about 16) in a thin layer onto the sheet, then bake for 5-7 mins until bubbling and melted. As soon as they look lacy, remove from the oven or they will burn quite quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp up. Will keep in an airtight container for two days.
• Put the spinach in a sieve over a clean bowl, and squeeze well with the back of a spoon. Keep the liquid.
• Heat the butter in a heavy-based pan and fry the shallots with a pinch of salt for 10 mins. Stir in the garlic, thyme and 2 tbsp flour, then pour in 250ml of the spinach water, boiling for 1-2 mins. Stir in the mascarpone, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne, and cook for 5 mins.
• Fold through the cheddar and spinach, tip into a bowl and leave to cool for 5-10 mins. Stir in the eggs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tart case, then pour in the filling. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden. Leave to cool a little before topping with thyme and the cheesy crisps.

CHEESY CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring constantly. Remove from the skillet and drain in a colander. Try to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir in the heavy cream. Sprinkle in the provolone cheese and stir to melt and coat the spinach. Once the provolone has melted, stir in the Parmesan cheese and continue to cook and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH SQUASHED NEW POTATOES & CHEESY CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Halve any large potatoes so they're all roughly the same size. Put in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 mins until tender. Drain.
• Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tray to sit in one snug layer. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, season and add the lemon zest, garlic, thyme and bay. Toss to coat the potatoes. Use a potato masher to gently crack each potato, being careful not to break them up too much. Place the chicken on top, rub with the rest of the oil and the paprika, then season. Roast for 45 mins until golden brown and cooked through.
• Meanwhile, make the creamed spinach. Boil the kettle and tip the spinach into a colander. Pour over the boiling water to wilt the leaves. Leave to cool.
• Heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 mins until softened. Stir through the garlic for another minute, then the flour for another minute. Pour in the milk, a little at a time, stirring and adding more until you have a smooth sauce. Bring to a simmer and stir continuously until the sauce has thickened.
• Squeeze any liquid out of the spinach, then roughly chop. Add to the sauce along with the nutmeg. Season to taste. Transfer to a baking dish, top with the cheese, and bake for 15 mins until golden.
• Cover the chicken and rest for 5 mins. Set aside 2 legs to cool before chilling for lunch tomorrow. Serve the rest (1 full leg each per adult, a drumstick or thigh each for the children) with the potatoes and spinach alongside some carrots.