Leek, Mushroom and Spinach Pies

Following on from my post on the dinner for eight the other night, this is another of the appetisers that I served that night. After serving the Bacon wrapped apricots and the chicken version of Nachos, these mini pies came out.

When planning the menu, The Lovely Wife was concerned that we were only serving one dish for the main meal. And the salad of course. She felt the table would be a little bare and that somehow our guests would not have enough food or enough choices. We decided to overcome that with lots of appetisers and these pies were to be the substantial appetisers that would not only taste good, but help in filling up out guests as well!



I was a bit apprehensive about making these mini pies as I felt that they may be a little time consuming. The Lovely Wife had originally suggested my Vol au Vents but I knew that although those would be well received, it would definitely be time consuming in cutting out the rounds, baking them, filling them and then baking them again.



Lining muffin pans with pastry seemed to be a simple solution and it turned out to be far easier, far faster and no less delicious. This is what I did.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic - chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
400g Button Mushrooms - sliced thinly
3 leeks - sliced thinly
200g spinach
3 eggs
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
Black Pepper
Puff Pastry Sheets
Method
Blanche the spinach and then chop roughly. Set aside. Sautee onion, garlic, oregano and basil together until onions are tender. Add in the mushrooms and leek and cook till tender. Add in the spinach and toss well. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Beat the eggs and pour into the mixing bowl together with the sour cream. Mix well. Season with salt and black pepper.

Line a muffin tray with the puff pastry and then spoon the mixture evenly into the pastry, about 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 200C oven till pastry puffs up nicely and the mixture has set.

In retrospect, the could probably have been a little bit more filling for the pastry but it was very tasty as it was. The puff pastry lent a nice flakiness to the filling and the eggs were not too overpowering or even noticeable.



A very tasty and satisfying appetiser indeed and even something that could be used as an accompaniment for the main meal. My little princess really enjoyed the pies and both my son and her wolfed down a couple over breakfast the next morning.

I have to admit that in terms of presentation and appearance, Vol au Vents would have been the much better choice but in terms of speed and ease of execution, these just cant be beat! Call them mini pies or call them quiche, fill them with whatever you like. This is something I will file for frequent use as the possibilities for these mini pies/quiches are really quite endless!

Frittata or Quiche, does it really make a difference?

I've always wanted to make a Frittata although I always wondered what the difference was between them. I know that generally speaking, a quiche has a crust although there are some quiches that don't. I've never eaten a Frittata, let alone made one, so the only thing I had to go by was how they looked in pictures.

A quiche, to me, always looked a little more wet and softer in texture than a Frittata. The Lovely Wife makes a good quiche and I also remember the quiche sold in my neighbourhood Milk Bar in Australia that Joe and Claudette (the owners) used to call an Egg and Bacon Pie. To complicate matters, some people refer to Fritattas as Spanish Omelletes as well...

One thing I've learnt though is that the same thing can be called something completely different depending which part of the world you come from. Case in point is what we call Currypuffs here in Malaysia are known as Empanadas elsewhere and variants of the same include Perogies and I'm sure all sorts of other names in other countries or cultures.


So anyway, I decided I was going to make a Frittata for lunch and I wasn't going to worry to much about whether it was a Quiche, a Spanish Omellete or a Frittata. To me, it was a Frittata and that settled it.
I based this recipe on a combination of recipes from various Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks as well as different recipes found on the web.

This is what I did.

Ingredients
1 onion - chopped
4 cloves garlic - chopped
3 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
3 potatoes
200g Bacon - diced
8 eggs
100ml cream
50g spinach - blanched and chopped
1 red capsicum - diced
1 green capsicum - diced
200g mushrooms - sliced
100g cheddar cheese - grated

Method
Skin the potatoes. Boil potatoes until just tender. Slice into thin slices and set aside. Meanwhile fry the onion, garlic, basil and oregano. Add in the bacon and mushrooms and continue to fry until well cooked. Add in the capsicum and spinach and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Line the base of a 9" cake pan with baking paper. Place a layer of potatoes on the base and cover with half the vegetable and bacon mixture. Place another layer of potatoes and cover with the remaining vegetable mixture. Whisk together the eggs and cream till incorporated and season with salt. Pour over the mixture and cover with grated cheese. Bake in a Preheated 190C oven for about 20-30 minutes till the top is golden and egg has set. Allow to cool slightly before overturning out and removing the baking paper underneath. Flip right side up onto a serving platter.

I placed this Frittata on to a bed of lettuce for effect but it turned out that the lettuce added some nice salad-like crunch to the Frittata. I also served this with basil roasted tomatoes. It might be an idea to place the tomatoes on top of the Frittata after it's been unmoulded rather than serving it as a side.



The Lovely Wife enjoyed the Fritatta although she started the whole debate again about Frittata and Quiche. The kids thought the Fritatta was really tasty although my son felt it was a little eggy.

I liked it not just for the taste but also how easy it was to prepare. I will definitely use this recipe again for a vegetarian version or maybe even add in some spicy sausage for a variation on the same theme.



So Frittata? Quiche? Spanish Omellete? What are the real differences? I'd like to know!!

Pasta Aglio Olio i Funghi e Spinaci

I think I'm getting into the 'romance' of naming my pasta dishes by their Italian names. Only problem is, I'm not sure if they are grammatically correct and I run the risk of an Italian coming to my house and saying "Ciò è rifiuti. Non state parlando Italiano! (This is Rubbish. You are not speaking Italian!) while he takes of his gloves and slaps my face twice. Or is that what the French do?

The kids were feeling a little under the weather with both having the flu and fever. This didnt diminish their appetite however and they both asked for pasta. I decided to keep it simple but yet very nutritious by making a simple Aglio Olio but fortified with Mushrooms, Spinach and a little chilli for both flavour and colour.
This is what I did:

Ingredients
8 cloves garlic
1 small onion
200g large Swiss Brown Mushrooms
1 bunch spinach
2 chillies
2 tsp oregano
Black Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil

Method
Chop Onion, Garlic and Chilli. Fry with black pepper and oregano in Olive Oil till soft. Add in the mushrooms and cook till juices come out. Blanch the spinach and chop finely. Then add into the mixture. Season with a little salt. Toss together with cooked pasta.

I just love how simple this dish is. I think sometimes with Pasta, it is the simplicity that makes it really special.



I also made some meatballs that went really well with this pasta but thats for another time and another post! In the meantime, this is also my entry for Presto Pasta Nights hosted by (and also the brainchild of) my friend Ruth at Once Upon A Feast

I know I dont speak Italian but I do know what Bellissimo means and in my mind, this pasta dish is certainly that. Bellissimo!