Spinach Tomato Tart

 

So glad that I found the tartlette forms 2 years ago in a shop that actually sells coffee. They are very practical forms as their bottoms/base are removable.  I used them for this recipe so I could freeze each portion  and will be ready to eat anytime for grabbing, that way, I don´t need to slice the tart.

 

 

 

 

 So friends, here´s how I made the Tarts:

 

Ingredients:

 

1 roll ready made puff pastry

500 grams of fresh or frozen spinach ( if frozen, thaw the pack the night before)

3 medium tomatoes

1 onion cut into strips

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 egg

2 tbsps olive oil

 1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp creme fráiche (or double cream)

1 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp pine nuts ( or coarsely cut almonds)

salt & peper

optional : finely grated grana padano (italian cheese)

 

 

How to :

 

1.

Roll out the pastry onto a board, remove its parchment/sheet and divide it into 4. Place each in the tartlette form tucking the excess  edges towards the inside of the form. Put a sheet of  wax paper to cover the pastry and add the dried beans on top of it to bake blind the pastry for 10 minutes with 180°C.

 

Remove the sheet and the dried beans and bake for more 10 minutes so the base gets golden brown in color, set the pastry aside for later use.

 

 

 

2.

In a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil,  fry the crushed garlic followed by Spinach leaves until spinach get softer & limpy and looses water,  slightly season with salt & pepper, remove excess liquid and put the spinach on a plate, set aside.

 

 

 

 In the same pan add 1 tbsp olive oil,  fry the onions, add the cut tomatoes,  sprinkle it with the soya sauce and  fry til they get soft, set aside.

 

 

3.

 Mix the egg, the sour cream , creme fráiche, season with salt & pepper and add 2 tbsp of this mixture to the onion and tomato and 2 tbsp to the spinach. Mix carefully so the liquid blends in with the vegetables.

 

 

 

4.

Using a spoon, fill each crust with the spinach and the onion mixture arranging the filling loosely  into the crust... add a tbsp of the egg mixture randomly and add the raisins, pine  nuts and  the grated grana padano cheese on top , place in the middle rack of your oven and bake at 180°C for about 20-30 minutes. When baking is done, carefully remove  the form´s bottom and arrange on a platter.  Serve warm or cold.


.

 

Enjoy Baking and have a nice Weekend!

 

Til next....

Easy Braised Pork Leg - Pork Pata

 

 

 

Friday is usually my shopping day, but today I had a day off from the office work and so I went food shopping. One of the meat offered at the shelf of our local supermarket were pork legs which we haven´t eaten for a long time.

 

Spontaneously, I got the ready cut legs ( the pig´s behind legs are longer than its front and have more meat), and I ´ve intended to cook it in my own version of the filipino dish called Pork Pata or  Braised Pork Leg... It is one of the fave dishes of filipino families usually cooked on Sundays.  It´s also served  in fiestas and family gatherings or on special occasions.

 

So, here is my version which is so easy to make,  that you would eventually sit and relax once it´s inside the cooker.

 

Ingredients :

 

1 kg pork leg (behind part) cut crosswise as in the photo shown above

3/4 Cup soya Sauce,

2 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp sugar or equivalent sugar substitute

5 cloves crushed garlic

1 bunch of spring onions cut into halves

1 tsp black peppercorns +1/2 tsp. crushed 

3-4 Cups water

1 bay leaf

salt (optional)

 

 

Procedures:

 

1. In a pressure cooker, arrange a portion of  the cut spring onions until they  

    cover the bottom of the cooker, then arrange the cut pork legs on top of the

    spring onions.

2.  Put the water in a Container  adding  all the rest of the ingredients into the  

    water.  Pour  mixture   into the  pot slightly covering  the leg pieces. Cover the

    cooker  cook under high heat until it boils, then reduce heat to low and simmer 

    for an  hour until leg pieces are soft. Check the liquid in the cooker from time to

    and adjust the  water if necessary. Adjust the salt according to your taste.

 

3. The spring onions placed  on the bottom of the  cooker will prevent the leg skin

    from sticking onto the surface of the cooker. Arrange the legs on a platter, set 

   aside. Meanwhile add extra fresh  spring onions into the cooker and cook in the 

  remaining liquid for 5 minutes til tender and garnish the meat on the platter with

  these , add  the  remaining liquid onto the platter.

 

  Goes well with cooked rice, serve hot.

                                                 Enjoy Cooking!

Note: I will post the recipe of  the Spinach Tomato Tart next after this blog.

 

Til next,

 Mercy