Potato And Spinach Pesto Tart Food

SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND POTATO TART

Steps:

• For the dough: Add flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter to the bowl and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbly sand. Add the egg and water and pulse again until the dough comes together.
• Very lightly flour the work surface. Dump the dough onto the floured surface and knead a few times until it comes together. Shape the dough into a disc and roll out to a 13-inch circle. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Level the edges with your fingers. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork. Freeze until firm, 25 minutes.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• While the tart is in the freezer, add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until tender but still with a bit of resistance, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Lightly drizzle the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, and cook, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon until crumbly and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the spinach by the handful and stir until it just wilts down. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and stir in the green onions. Remove to a bowl to cool.
• Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and stir in the milk. Whisk together until combined and then add some salt and pepper.
• Remove the tart from the freezer. Cover the top with parchment paper and add pie weights or dried beans. Place on a sheet tray and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and continue baking for 10 minutes more.
• Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F.
• Evenly sprinkle the par-baked tart shell with half of the grated cheese, then the cooked potatoes, and finally top with the sausage and spinach mixture. Pour the eggs over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.
• Cool the tart for 10 minutes before serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

SPINACH PESTO

Steps:

• Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. Add the walnuts, lemon juice and zest; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream., Serve desired amount of pesto with pasta. Transfer remaining pesto to ice cube trays. Cover and freeze up to 1 month., To use frozen pesto: Thaw in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Serve with pasta.

ITALIAN POTATOES AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender and drain in a colander reserving 1/4 cup of liquid.
• Let potatoes steam 3 minutes, shaking once, then remove to a serving dish.
• While potatoes are cooking, place oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small skillet and cook slowly over low heat until garlic is lightly browned.
• When potatoes are ready, cook spinach according to package directions.
• Add spinach, garlic-pepper oil (and some reserved liquid if needed) to potatoes, toss, season with salt and pepper and serve at once.

SPINACH, POTATO AND GOAT'S CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Make the Shortcrust Pastry, recipe follows, leaving to chill for 30 minutes before using. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the tart tin with the dough and bake 'blind'. Cook's Note: Blind Baking. To pre-bake a pastry shell before adding filling, first chill the pastry, and then line your pan. Line the pastry with foil, parchment or greaseproof paper, leaving plenty to come up the sides. Fill with baking beans (alternatively, for a really smooth finish use plastic wrap to line the pastry: place 2 sheets over the pastry, add the beans and bring the edges into the center.) Whichever method you choose, bake 'blind' in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry feels dry. Remove the paper and beans, and brush with a little leftover beaten egg, and return to the oven for 2 minutes. If there are any little holes or cracks in the pastry, just patch it up with any leftover raw pastry before you return it to the oven. Remove from the oven, and set aside in the pan while you make the filling. The pastry can be baked a day in advance and kept covered until you need it. Filling: Wash and dry the spinach, removing any tough stalks and stems, if using large spinach leaves. In a medium-size saucepan, cook the spinach in just the water that's clinging to it, over a low heat until it wilts. Drain the spinach in a colander or sieve, and let cool a little, then squeeze most of the moisture out with your hands, and roughly chop. Meanwhile, steam or boil the potatoes, until just cooked, and cool the potatoes on a tray or board. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, and add the cream, salt, and pepper, lemon zest, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and grated Parmesan. Whisk these ingredients together, and then add the spinach, and mix through. Season well as the potatoes are very mild and need a good contrast. Spread the potato slices over the base of the prepared tart, and dot with the goat's cheese, reserving a few slices of each to place on the top, if you wish. Gently spoon the spinach cream mixture over the cheese, as high as you can go. If you are concerned about spillage, carry the tart minus the last few spoons of filling over to the oven. Place the pan in the oven, and then add the remaining filling, and any remaining potato, and cheese slices. Bake until the tart is golden brown and just set in the center, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven, and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
• Shortcrust Pastry
• Place the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor and whiz or pulse briefly. Add half the beaten egg and continue to whiz. You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together. If making by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring the dough together. With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough, until it is about 3/4-inch thick, and then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 1 crust (about 14 ounces).

PESTO AND POTATO TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190 degrees celsius.
• Simmer sliced potatoes for 3 minutes,drain,set aside.
• Spread pasrty base with pesto.
• Sprinkle with parmesan - as much or as little as you like.
• Lay sliced potatoes over top of cheese.
• season with salt and ground pepper.
• Glaze pastry borders with beaten egg.
• Bake 35-40 minutes till pastry is golden and crisp and potatoes are tender.
• Sprinkle with basil.

POTATO AND SPINACH PESTO TART

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
• Grease a large baking sheet.
• Thaw puff pastry.
• Thaw and drain spinach.
• Cook and drain potatoes- do not overcook- should retain their shape.
• In a medium bowl beat eggs and remove 2 tablespoons to be used later as a wash.
• Mix spinach, scallions, cheese, salt and pepper into beaten eggs.
• Flour a work surface and with a rolling pin roll pastry out to 12" X 14" and place onto greased baking sheet.
• Spread pesto onto pastry leaving a 1 1/2" border.
• Cover pesto with potatoes.
• Cover potatoes with spinach mixture.
• Fold the 1 1/2" border over filling forming a frame around the tart.
• Brush egg wash onto pastry border.
• Can chill up to 4 hours or cook immediately.
• Bake 25 minutes or till pastry is golden brown.