Italian Cheese Spinach Flan Food

ITALIAN SPINACH CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate.
• In a large bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs and bell pepper. Spread in the prepared pie dish so that it is a little thinner in the middle.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until the center is set, and the edges are lightly browned.

FLAN

Steps:

• To make the caramel:
• Have ready 8 individual 5-ounce ramekins. In a thick sided heavy duty pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup of the water, and lemon juice. Cook over high heat until a medium brown caramel forms. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Pour about 1 tablespoon of caramel into each ramekin.
• To make the flan:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Cream together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the half-and-half and vanilla bean to a scald. Gradually whisk the half-and-half mixture into the eggs, a little at a time at first and whisking constantly, to temper the egg mixture.
• Fill each ramekin almost to the top with the egg mixture. Set the ramekins in a deep baking dish and fill the dish with hot water that reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the flan is set (jiggly but not firm), about 90 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate.
• To serve, use a paring knife to cut around the outside of the ramekin and then invert the mold over each serving plate. It may be necessary to shake the flan or gently push it back on one side in order to get the flan to break loose from the ramekin. Serve with the liquid caramel that pours out as a sauce.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

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.

MUSHROOM & BABY SPINACH TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a deep 22cm flan tin. Let the edges overhang, don't trim them yet. Chill in the fridge or freezer for at least 15 mins.
• Line the tart case with baking parchment and fill it with baking beans. Place on a baking tray, then bake for 15-20 mins. Remove the beans and parchment, then return to the oven for another 5 mins to cook the base. Remove, then reduce oven temperature to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then cook the mushrooms for 1 min. Add the spinach, then cook for 3 mins more or until wilted down. Combine the eggs with the milk and cream in a jug and season well. Build up the tart by sprinkling the cheese onto the base, then scatter over the vegetables and pour over the cream and egg mix. Sprinkle the thyme over the top, then bake for 40-45 mins or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Trim the pastry edges and serve in slices with the salads, below.

FRESH SPINACH & ANCHOVY TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional180C/gas 4. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 6 minutes, drain and cool under the cold tap and thinly slice. Pierce the bag of spinach and microwave for 21⁄2 minutes (or wilt in a pan with 2 tbsp water). When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess moisture and finely chop.
• Beat the cream, eggs and 50g/2oz cheese together in a large bowl. Chop half the anchovies and add to the bowl with the potatoes, spinach and plenty of black pepper. Pour into the pastry case (don't worry if it looks quite rough as this will add to the appearance later) and top with the whole anchovies and the remaining 2 tbsp of parmesan.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes until the mixture is set and the filling is just starting to turn golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tin. Serve warm or cold with a tomato and basil salad, or on its own as a starter.

ITALIAN SPINACH

Steps:

• Place drained spinach in non-stick skillet and heat well.
• Add garlic and egg and stir until egg is set.
• Add Parmesan cheese, cover and remove from heat.
• Let sit for a couple of minutes for the cheese to melt.
• Stir and serve.

SPINACH FLAN

Steps:

• Base: Take the flour and salt in a bowl.
• Rub in all the butter till the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Sprinkle around 2 tblps of cold water to form a firm dough.
• Knead until smooth and roll out on a floured board and use to line an 8 inch tin or pie dish.
• Bake open in a preheated oven for 15 mins at 190C or till light brown.
• (the recipe calls for it to be lined with greaseproof paper and filled with baking beans. Not sure what these are so did not do this. It calls for 15 mins of baking. Then the beans have to be removed and the base has to bake for 5 mins more to dry out) Wash the spinach and cook with just the water that stays on the leaves after washing then for about 8 mins.
• Drain and chop coarsely.
• Reserve few 4-5 rings of the pepper for garnish and chop the remaining afer deseeding and cook for around 5 mins in some boiling water.
• Beat the eggs and milk (you can use semi-skimmed milk), then add the chopped onions, spinach, pepper, nutmeg and seasonings.
• Spoon the filling into the flan and cook in the oven (Preheated to 190C again) for 40 mins, or until set.
• Garnish with the pepper slices.
• Can be had hot or cold.
• But not in the pot nine days old!

SPINACH FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a blender, add spinach, parsley, milk, goat cheese, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Pour evenly between 3-ounce ramekins (small soufflé dishes) that have been sprayed lightly with EVOO (or non-stick cooking spray). Place ramekins in a large casserole dish. Slowly add boiling water in one corner, being careful not to spill water into ramekins, until half-way up the sides of the ramekins.
• Carefully place into oven and cook until the sides are firm and a little wobble remains in the middle of each ramekin.
• Remove from oven; remove each ramekin from water bath and let cool on cooling rack. When cool, run a sharp knife down the sides of each ramekin and invert onto a warm plate. Serve with the mixed herb salad, a drizzle of EVOO, and a few strips of parmesan.
• Herb Salad Garnish.
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley.
• 1/4 cup fresh tarragon.
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Toss. Enjoy!

ITALIAN SPINACH AND CHICKEN SKILLET

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, spaghetti sauce, chicken, spinach, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. , Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

SPINACH AND ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-inch tart pan and line it with the pastry. Keep it in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
• Steam the spinach above an inch of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted. You will probably have to do this in batches. I like to use a pasta pot with an insert for steaming spinach, as I can get a lot of it into the insert. Rinse briefly with cold water, squeeze out excess water and chop medium-fine.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it is tender and beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Add the spinach, thyme and salt and pepper to taste, and stir together. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add salt to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon) and whisk in the milk. Stir in the onion and spinach mixture and the cheeses. Scrape into the pastry-lined tart pan. Place in the oven and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until tart is set and beginning to color on the top. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or room temperature.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN CHEESE SPINACH FLAN

Steps:

• Pre heat the oven to 200c (180c fan forced).
• Roll out the dough thinly and line 2 x 20 cm pie plates.
• Place piece of foil in each base and cover with raw rice or pastry weights to prevent pastry from bubbling up during the cooking & prevent shrinking.
• Cook the pastry 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the foil and rice.
• Put eggs & cream in a bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the cheese's. spinach, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and divide the mix between the pastry shells.
• Reduce the oven temp to 185c (165c fan forced) and cook the flans for about 25 minutes or until the centres are set. Remove and cool on rack.