Friday 25 April 2014

Little pies


What I would really like is a pasta making machine, I have tried the 'roll~it~out~with~a~rolling~pin'  method but it's a killer on the arms, so I decided to use my dream pasta filling in little pies instead, and they worked out well. 

Shamefully, nothing this time, is home grown or fairly traded with a vegetable growing neighbour. Everything is bought from the supermarket, the local supermarket mind you. 

This recipe makes 4 but I would recommend doubling up and making 8  ~ just for yourself!

This is what you'll need:

2 Artichoke hearts    56p
50g Fresh spinach    50p
10g Cottage cheese   5p
125g Puff pastry      25p
1 Egg                     17p
10g Sesame seeds     8p
Salt & pepper            4p

Total    ~     £1.65


Wash and wilt the spinach. If you bought a big 200g bag put the whole lot in a big frying pan on a low heat for a few minutes turning it over constantly, as soon as it has changed to wilted spinach transfer it to a sieve and run under a cold tap, divide into 4 and squeeze out the water. 

Just use 1 of these spinach balls and put the other 3 in the fridge or freezer for something else,  I just think spinach keeps better this way and takes up less fridge space. Alternatively - buy frozen spinach!

Take 2 artichokes from a tin, rinse under the tap and gently squeezed dry, keep the rest in their juices in a bowl in the fridge. They usually last at least a week.

Pre heat the oven to  180c  gas 4 (or 5 in our slightly rubbish oven)

If you've got a 500g pack of puff pastry then cut off a 1/4 square and roll out on a floured surface until about 2 mm thick,  i.e. as thin as you can.

Then cut 8 circles out, about 9 cm diameter.  Use a pastry cutter if you have one, or a big glass will do. I used a little frying ring which I once bought once to make crumpets with.
Place 4 circles on a baking tray and divide your fillings between them. Leave a 1 cm space around the edge. Season with salt & lots of black pepper!


Beat the egg,  and brush around the edge. Then gently place the other circles over the fillings, you may need to stretch them out a bit to make them fit. Press down around the edge to stick to layers together.

Brush the tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, I used my frying ring again for this, to help the seeds stick only to the pie and not go everywhere! 

Make a little hole in the top with a pointy knife,  and bake for 20 ~ 25 minutes or until golden!
  

Cool on a cooking rack.



Cool!

I found these pies incredibly delicious, but they are just a snack or a starter, so I used the rest of the ingredients, plus about 6 thinly sliced par boiled new potatoes, and some chopped dill, and a packet of Mozarella cheese to make this for our dinner.

  

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