Spinach And Ricotta Tart Food

SPINACH AND RICOTTA FILO PIE

Steps:

• Heat a spray of oil in a large pan and fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and bubbling off any liquid. Tip into a sieve and press to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Cool.
• Beat the egg with the ricotta and nutmeg and season. Stir in the feta with the spinach and onion. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Spray a 20cm loose-based cake tin with a little oil. Line it with the filo sheets, leaving any excess pastry hanging over the edge and spraying each sheet with oil. Spoon the cheese and spinach mixture into the tin. Fold the overhanging the pastry up and over the top of the pie (you can freeze the pie at this point if you like, cook it from frozen and make sure the centre is piping hot). Spray the top generously with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Serve warm or cold.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick pie shell (9" pie pan) and prebake in hot oven for 5-8 minutes until lightly browned. Turn oven down to 350 degrees when pie crust is done.
• Cook spinach until thawed and warm. Drain very well, squeezing excess moisture out with hands. (Do not precook spinach if using fresh).
• Saute onion in butter and stir in spinach, salt, nutmeg and black pepper.
• In separate bowl, combine Ricotta cheese, cream Parmesan cheese and eggs and blend well.
• Add spinach mixture and stir well.
• Pour into prebaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until custard is set.
• Garnish with finely chopped parsley and sliced cherry tomatoes if desired.
• May be served hot or room temperature.

SPINACH-RICOTTA QUICHE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onion and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to wilt, about 1 minute. Cover skillet and cook for 1 minute more, allowing condensation to build inside the skillet. Remove from heat, uncover, and stir.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press pie pastry into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Prick bottom and sides with a fork.
• Bake crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Combine eggs, ricotta cheese, cream, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
• Spread spinach and onion mixture evenly over the crust. Pour egg mixture on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until center of quiche is set and the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• Wrap ricotta tightly in fine cheesecloth; place in a colander over a bowl. Place a heavy bowl or cans on top; let drain, refrigerated, for 3 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 1/2-inch springform pan with olive-oil cooking spray. Place drained ricotta, spinach, basil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth; scrape sides as needed, about 1 minute. Add eggs and egg white; blend about 5 seconds. Pour into prepared pan; bake until set and just brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest on a cooling rack 5 minutes; run a paring knife around edges before unmolding. Cut into wedges; serve.

SPINACH AND FETA TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/ gas 6.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until tender. Add the spinach and cook gently until wilted. Squeeze out any liquid and set aside.
• Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a floured surface and use to line a 20cm round tin, leaving 2-3cm hanging over the edge.
• Mix the spinach and onions with 2 beaten eggs, feta and 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill. Season well and spoon into the tart case.
• Fold the excess pastry in towards the centre, brush with beaten egg and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and set.

SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Put the spinach and a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the nutmeg, season with sea salt and black pepper, cover and leave to sweat. Help the kids to stir it occasionally until the spinach has cooked down. Place in a bowl and set to one side to cool a little.
• Dice the onion and squash the garlic. In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and gently sweat the onion until soft.
• Scrunch in the tomatoes through your clean hands and add the garlic and bay leaf. Pick in a few basil leaves and grate in the zest of the lemon half, then let it gently simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Have the kids squeeze the moisture out of the spinach into the bowl. Place the spinach on a board so you can chop it up. Return the spinach to the liquid in the bowl.
• Beat the egg and grate 2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese. Get the kids to stir the ricotta, egg and Parmesan into the spinach. Season to taste.
• Sit a piping bag in a jug, fold its edges over the rim, then spoon in the spinach mixture. Have the kids help pipe the mixture into the cannelloni tubes and lay them in a 20cm x 25cm oven dish.
• Spread the tomato sauce over the cannelloni. Pick the remaining basil leaves and scatter most of them over the tomato sauce. Slice the mozzarella and lay the slices on top, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season.
• Place in the oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or till the top is golden and the pasta tender (if the top browns too fast, cover the dish with foil). Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving with the remaining basil leaves.

SPINACH & RICOTTA SLICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt half the butter with the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 mins until softened. Remove to a bowl.
• Add a few handfuls of spinach to the pan and cook for a few mins until it has wilted down. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander. Repeat until all the spinach is cooked. Press with the back of a spoon to remove any excess liquid. Now roughly chop and tip into the bowl with the onion. Stir in the nutmeg, ricotta, egg yolks, Parmesan and some seasoning and mix well.
• Roll out one pack of pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 25 x 30cm rectangle, then lay on a large baking sheet. With the longest side facing you, pack the spinach mixture down the middle of the pastry, leaving a 5cm border all the way around. Brush the pastry all the way round with some beaten egg.
• Roll out the second pack of pastry to a rectangle slightly larger than the first. Drape over the top and gently press down the edges to seal both pastry layers together. Trim the edges to neaten and crimp with your fingers, or seal down with a fork.
• Brush all over with beaten egg and, if you like, lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you don't cut all the way through. Bake for 40 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.

BAKED SPINACH AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-14-by-2-inch oval baking dish, or six individual cast-iron pans, with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and zucchini and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Lightly press most of the water out of the spinach and add it to the pan. Add the rice, basil, parsley, nutmeg, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, the -remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Pour the mixture over the spinach and zucchini and smooth the top. Sprinkle with some extra Parmesan and the Gruyere. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

BAKED SPINACH RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• Place the ricotta in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and allow to drain over a bowl, covered and refrigerated, for 2 hours. To prepare the tart dough, combine the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Add the chilled butter and, using your fingertips or two knives, blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Work in the ice water until the dough holds together. Form the dough into a smooth, flat disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the dough into a 16inch disk. Place the rolled out dough into a 10- by 2 1/2-inch deep cake pan or springform mold. Pressing with your fingertips, flute the top edges of the dough. Place in the freezer and chill thoroughly, about 30 minutes. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over high heat and saute the spinach, stirring constantly until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and half the pepper. Place the cooked spinach in a colander and drain. Chop fine and reserve. In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and cook the onion 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat until translucent. Add the marjoram and prosciutto. Stir and cook an additional 2 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the drained ricotta, spinach, onion, and prosciutto. Season with the nutmeg and remaining salt and pepper. Set aside. Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the dough is set. Remove the foil and beans and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the dough is light brown. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spread the ricotta and spinach mixture evenly in the tart, place on the middle rack of' the oven, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the filling is set and the top golden brown. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes, slice into wedges, and serve.