A Christmas Tart with Crispy Pastry and Crunchy Feta

Around half of my close family are vegetarian or non-meat eaters, so one of our Christmas gatherings will probably include the usual poultry but definitely one of my vegetarian creations. The 'others' are kind and aware of the roast potato thing (separate, cooked in oil) and the rest of it, so all will be well.

This year, we expect that eight of us will meet up at my brother's for a pre-Christmas lunch, and I've been practising the main course that I'll bring for myself, Mr P, and any of the others who are tempted. It has eight ingredients and needs 25-30 mins baking. 

Best way is to make the pastry case first, to cover the base and sides of the dish, and leave it chilling in the fridge while prepping all other ingredients. If using frozen pastry sheets, leave in the fridge overnight to thaw or at room temp about 3h. Once the case is ready, 20mins should see the ingredients processed and the tart ready for the oven. Quantities can be halved, doubled and so on. If preparing in advance, don't fill the pastry case until it's time to bake the tart, otherwise the base could go soggy.

This quantity nicely fills a shallow 18-20cm diameter dish, and it's best to line the base with a circle of parchment to make sure the pastry won't stick to the dish.

Christmas Tart - serves 4.  
Oven can go on at around the time the mushrooms start to sautee, at 180C.
Here's what mine looked like - any leftover pastry can be made into decorations and just placed on the top:

Ingredients
200g short pastry - home-made or as a frozen ready-rolled sheet, rolled out a little
          more thinly to make it bake to crispy and light
2 tbsp oil
150g interesting mushrooms, e.g. shiitake, oyster (straight whites OK too), trimmed
          and coarsely sliced
6 tbsp cranberry sauce, drained of loose liquid
1 egg
60ml double cream
150g vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts, halved
80g feta, roughly chopped

Method
1  As above, line the base of the oven-proof dish with parchment, set the pastry
          in it and leave to chill.
2  Heat the oil in a medium pan. Add the mushrooms and sautee gently 4-5 mins,
          stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool.
3  Spread the cranberry sauce evenly over the base of the tart.
4  Beat the egg and cream in a small bowl.
5  Scatter the chestnuts, mushrooms and feta evenly over the tart.
6  Pour the egg and cream mixture into the dish, aiming for it to top all of the
          other ingredients and fill any gaps.
7  Bake towards the top of the oven for 25-30mins until nicely browned. Remove
          from the oven and leave for 3 mins or so to finish setting before serving.
          
Serve with ...
... just a side salad for a light meal, otherwise roasted potatoes, boiled and buttered baby potatoes, broccoli or beans. I don't think this needs a sauce, but it could take a parsley sauce quite nicely.


Alternatives
Canned evaporated milk - maybe 100ml - could replace the cream if necessary. For a herby version, perhaps thyme leaves or snipped basil. Blue cheese could replace feta, and tastes great cooked, but here the feta ends up slightly crunchy which is delightful along with the crispy pastry.

Tofu in Cider with Apple, Mushrooms & Garlic

Looking through this recipe, there are lots of possible substitutions to suit various tastes - see last section, though the details here are how I like it best. Can easily be made vegan.

Should take around 45 minutes all told, and it helps to prepare the first few ingredients before starting to cook (e.g. up to and including the mushrooms). This dish is relatively low in calories for a main course, and is cooked using one large frying pan and one ring on the hob. It would also work well in the slow cooker, adjusting the timescale of course.

Wish I'd snipped that large leaf.

Tofu in Cider with Apple, Mushrooms and Garlic - serves 2
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
180g firm tofu, cut into bricks around 3 x 1.5 x 1cm
1 tsp oil
1 medium red onion, peeled & diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
2 tbsp fresh herbs such as thyme leaves or snipped sage or coriander
1 medium apple, cored and diced (no need to peel)
140g medium-sized mushrooms, trimmed & quartered
230ml vegetarian-suitable dry cider (or apple juice)
1 good tbsp Dijon mustard
100ml double cream (or 80g full fat cream cheese)
80g baby spinach leaves, washed
s & p
small handful of chives (or garlic chives), finely snipped

Method
1  Heat the first measure of oil in a large frying pan. Meanwhile blot the tofu well
    in layers of kitchen paper before frying it gently for about 10mins, turning once,
    until lightly browned both sides. Remove from the pan.

2  Heat the second measure of oil in the pan and sautee the onion and garlic for
    5mins, stirring from time to time.

3  Add the herbs, apple and mushrooms and cook for a further 5mins, stirring
    occasionally.

4  Add the cider (or apple juice), the mustard and the tofu; simmer 5mins.

5  Mix in the cream (or cream cheese) and spinach, and season well. Cook for 
    another couple of minutes until heated through and the spinach has wilted.

6  When serving, sprinkle each plate/bowl with the chives.

Alternative ingredients
•  Good with Quorn chunks in stead of tofu, or indeed with Quorn fillets kept whole.
•  Low fat cream cheese could be used, but tends to end up a little weaker.
•  Same with low-fat yogurt. Full fat would be OK.
•  White onions work as well as red, but just don't look quite so pretty.
•  Creamed horseradish could replace the mustard.
•  Chives might be replaced with very finely sliced onion, fried until crisp. 
•  For vegan version, check the cider and if dodgy, use apple juice. Substitute the
        cream/cheese with suitable cream such as Alpro.

Added Extras
Rice (preferably whole-grain), mash with parsley, or crusty bread.
Dry white wine or white grape juice - more apple juice might be a step too far.
 

Nice Savoury Tart for the Family - Leek, Mushroom & Walnut

Usually my recipes serve 2 or 4, but since I made this tart for 6 of us, here are the recipe and the quantities used. It's at its finest straight out of the oven - and is most easily divided by cutting with scissors! Can be eaten at room temperature, or - if there is any left - reheated in a moderate oven for about ten minutes.

Ready-rolled pastry is a little more expensive than block, but saves so much time. Here I used a single sheet of Sainsbury's puff pastry; it weighs 375g, which is a little more than most other brands, and just right for six.

Leek, Mushroom and Walnut Tart
Ingredients

READY

375g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
3 tbsp decent oil
4 fat leeks, trimmed & sliced to about 15mm
200g mushrooms, trimmed & thinly sliced
50g walnut pieces, chopped coarsely
2 eggs
150ml creme fraiche or double cream
90g blue cheese - preferably vegetarian Stilton
2 tbsp snipped sage leaves (or other herb)

Method 
1  Line a large rectangular baking sheet with parchment. Unroll the pastry and place 
    on the sheet, then use fingers to pinch up the sides all round to about 15mm.

STEADY

2  Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pan and saute 
    the leeks for about 10 mins; stir occasionally.
    Move them from the pan into a large bowl.

3  Add the rest of the oil to the pan and saute the
    mushrooms and walnuts for 3-4 mins. Add to 
    the leeks.

4  Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl with the creme 
    fraiche or cream, then crumble in the cheese, 
    add the sage and mix well.

5  Spread the leeks and mushrooms evenly across the pastry, then pour the egg/creme
    mixture over them and smooth out.

6  Bake for 30-35 mins until the filling is set and the pastry browning nicely.

GO!

Adjustments, Anyone?
If the family likes tomatoes, halved baby cherry or plum tomatoes could be dotted around the tart before baking, cut side upwards. If there's no sage, thyme leaves or coriander would be good. Hazel nuts could be substituted for walnuts, and you could add peas or sweetcorn!

Sides
We had a salad of baby spinach leaves, rocket, celery, cucumber, chopped dates and chopped pears. For a more substantial meal, buttered baby potatoes would be nice, and parsnips roasted in a lower shelf as the tart cooks instead of salad.

And to Drink?
Either a dry white wine or a light red (e.g. beaujolais) might go well, otherwise perhaps apple juice or just a sparkling mineral water.

A Pilgrim's Help in Confronting a Demon!

Couscous with Cheddar, Mushrooms and Onions

The company who make Pilgrims Choice kindly offered some of their cheese if I'd like to taste it, cook with it and blog about it. Since cheese is a favourite of ours, I was happy to say yes.  And because couscous has long been a problem for me - apparently healthy but bland - it seemed a good idea to take the bull by the horns, grasp the nettle, etc etc. Especially as middle-eastern food is trending in magazines.

Oddly, I get on well with tebbouleh which involves bulgar wheat - along with couscous, it's made from durum wheat. Bulgar could be a substitute here.

Pleased to say this actually worked well, so the birds will not be getting the rest of the couscous (after I soaked some to put in their latest bird cake-in-a-mug). The cheese was Pilgrims Choice Extra Mature Cheddar and made an excellent nibble before the cooking began. Would be a full-flavoured addition to a cheeseboard as well as for cooked dishes.

The recipe takes 30 minutes or so once the ingredients are ready. The quantities would serve 2 as a main; I made half because Mr P shares my uncertainly about the grain.

Couscous with Cheddar, Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients
60g wholewheat couscous
150ml boiling water
30g pine nuts or flaked almonds (optional)
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion (80-100g), peeled and coarsely chopped
100g mushrooms, wiped and stalks trimmed, fairly thinly sliced
Heaped tbsp snipped herbs, e.g. parsley, coriander, basil, sage, or thyme leaves
50g cheddar, coarsely grated e.g. Pilgrims Choice Mature!

Method
1  Place couscous in a small bowl. Stir in the water and leave for a few minutes.
2  Meanwhile, toast the nuts by heating gently in a small, dry pan for about 5 mins,
          stirring frequently to prevent charring.
3  Empty the nuts into the couscous. Use the same pan to heat the oil.
4  Fry the onions gently for 5 mins.
5  Add the mushrooms and fry a further 5 mins.
6  Add these to the couscous with the herbs and about 3/4 of the cheese and some
          ground black pepper and mix well.
7  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
8  Heat through by either microwaving (maybe 1min30secs) or placing under a hot grill
          for a couple of minutes.

The ingredients can be juggled around to some extent. Grated nutmeg might be good, or finely sliced leeks instead of onions. A couple of crushed garlic cloves could be added at Stage 4, as could some finely sliced red pepper.

To my surprise this was an easy cook-up that I'm very likely to prepare again. I don't expect to serve it to Mr P any time soon, but with this quantity, the second half could be chilled and reappear at room temperature the next day.

Mushroom, Leek & Goat Cheese Mille Feuilles

Those who love desserts will know that 'mille feuilles' is French for 'a thousand leaves', so called as it's usually made with sweet stuff sandwiched between layers of puff pastry. My recipe here is a savoury version, and for me it's a keeper. I made two individual servings, but for any more than that it would be better to make one long piece and carve with a very sharp knife to serve.

Each ingredient can be prepared in advance, but otherwise, once the pastry is thawed, the whole thing could be done from start to serving in about an hour. The extra in the picture is smashed roasted baby potatoes - the potatoes are simmered for about 5 minutes, then drained and crushed a little (e.g. with the end of a rolling pin) before placing in an oiled tin and putting in the oven about 15 minutes before the pastry goes in.

To toast flaked almonds, warm a small pan and dry fry them for 3-4 mins, stirring often to prevent burning.

Mushroom, Leek & Goat Cheese Mille Feuilles - serves 2 but easily increased.

The pastry should be thawed in the fridge for a few hours. The oven needs to be at just under 200C; suggest turning it on once the filling ingredients are individually prepared and before rolling out the pastry. Line a baking sheet with parchment.


Ingredients
About 130g frozen puff pastry, thawed (if from a frozen rolled sheet, cut a piece about 12cm long)
few drops of milk
1 tbsp oil
1 small leek, trimmed and finely sliced
80g mushrooms (approx 4 medium) trimmed and finely sliced
40g soft goat cheese (about 4cm from a log), sliced into four
1 good tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or parsley/coriander)
2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds (optional)
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1  If using part of a sheet of pastry, open out the strip and roll out gently to be just a little longer and wider. 
    Cut evenly crossways into six pieces.
    If using a block, roll out thinly to a strip around 24 cm x 12cm, then halve lengthwise and cut each strip
    crossways into three pieces. Place on the baking sheet and brush lightly with milk.

2  Put the pastry pieces in to bake for 15 minutes. When they're puffed and golden, remove from the oven
    but don't turn it off yet.

3  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium pan and saute the leek for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add
    the mushrooms and thyme and saute for a further 5 mins. Add the goat cheese, almonds and a good
    pinch of pepper and mix well.

4  To build the mille feuilles, press down lightly on four of the cooked pieces, keeping the other two as they 
    are for the tops. Divide half of the filling between two of the flattened pastry pieces and cover them with 
    the other two. Spread the remaining filling over these and top them with the remaining two, pressing down
    gently but without breaking the puffiness.

5  Return to the oven for 5 minutes to heat through.

And there you have it. Substitutions can be made for the filling, e.g. onions for the leek, cream cheese for goats, chopped walnuts or hazels instead of almonds. For glamour, the mushrooms could have a splash of sherry, brandy or vermouth in which to simmer until the liquid is reduced. Shredded spinach could be added to the pan with the mushrooms. A hot vegetable of choice would be right for this, and a light wine would do justice, perhaps a dry white.

I'm thinking this would make a good vegetarian main for Christmas lunch, with preps done earlier, though it needs attention for the last 20 minutes. The ingredients could also be transported easily if the cook should be working in someone else's kitchen!

Mushroom, Pea & Blue Cheese Risotto in the Slow Cooker

There once was a large slow cooker in our kitchen, but I broke the lid and didn't replace the cooker. Recently, though, I thought it would be good to go back to the slow method, and bought a very fine (though small - 1.5 litres) slow cooker by Lloydtron. Here it is:

It's only 120watts, and the inner ceramic liner lifts out and is more or less wipe-clean. I am in love with it.

But to business. I believe this recipe to be my best risotto yet. It's not quite 'throw everything in and leave it', as I prefer to add the vegetables and cheese once the rice is on its way to being cooked. For anyone who uses this and has a differently powered/sized slow cooker, timings may be a bit different. 

The recipe would work perfectly well cooked on the hob, and would be faster, but would need a lot more attention - although I have never held with the 'keep the stock hot and add one ladle at a time' plan. The quantity makes 2 generous portions, and using my cooker it took about 1h45m from start to serving. I couldn't offer a picture of the finished dish - had to be served up in a hurry in time for The Archers, and forgot about photo.

Mushroom, Pea and Blue Cheese Risotto

Ingredients

Knob of butter (size of a walnut shell)

1 medium onion, peeled and fairly finely chopped

120g risotto rice 

330ml hot vegetarian stock

80 frozen peas, left to defrost

75g mushrooms, thinly sliced

40g blue cheese (e.g. Danish, Stilton), crumbled

Ground black pepper - about a level tsp

Method

1  Switch the slow cooker to High, and put in the butter.

2  Once the butter is melting, add the onion and rice, and stir to coat it all with butter.

         Leave for 5 mins.

3  Add the stock, stir, and leave for 45 mins, stirring once or twice meanwhile.

4  Add the defrosted peas, the mushrooms, cheese and pepper and mix well.

5  Leave for about 40m, stirring very occasionally, until the stock is absorbed.

And that's it. Plenty of time while it's cooking to play LinkLines, prep a side salad, and have an aperitif.

Other Options

Sweetcorn or broad beans could replace the peas; snipped herbs such as basil, thyme or parsley added towards the end would go well - though perhaps not rosemary unless it's added at the start and so would have plenty of time to soften. Mixed dried mushrooms could be used instead of fresh, in which case they should be covered in boiling water in a bowl, left for 10 minutes, and drained well before adding. Grated vegan hard cheese could replace the blue. Vegetarian white wine could be substituted for part of the stock, although I prefer it as nature intended.

Interesting Ways to Serve Four Everyday Veg

Of course these five very fine vegetables (well more accurately veg and fruit) can be served simply and quickly, as often I do. But sometimes it's good to add this and that to make the flavour more complex, so here are my ideas for four of the current selection in my fridge and veg rack. (There are more - broccoli and leeks for example. But that's for another time.)

Quantities are not given for all recipes, as ratios are not always that important.

Ah, spinach. Often served overcooked and not properly drained - no wonder it's disliked by many. I love it though, and it grows profusely once established. 

Spinach with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Nutmeg
Nutmeg is optional but lovely.
1  For larger leaves, fold at the stem and slice off any thick bits. Use a good handful of
          leaves per person. Wash, then chop roughly.
2 Put just a few drops of water in a pan and add the leaves. Simmer very gently for about
          4 minutes until wilted, then drain well, pressing the leaves to remove max water.
3 Replace in the pan and add some goat cheese - about a heaped teaspoon per portion -
          together with a tablespoon of chopped walnuts and half a teaspoon of grated
          nutmeg each.
4  Warm through over a gentle heat, stirring. Add black pepper if that appeals, too.

∆               ∆               ∆               ∆               ∆

Mushrooms and garlic - a match made in the kitchen. This recipe serves 3-4 as a side. 
The quantity of mushrooms looks large, but they shrink while cooking.

Baked Mushrooms in Garlic Butter
1  Wipe 500g evenly-sized mushrooms, preferably open cup (i.e. lots of gills showing).
          Remove and save the stalks, trimming off the lower end.
2  Crush or finely chop 4 large peeled garlic cloves and put in a basin with 150g melted
          butter, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley 
          (or 1.5 of dried). Mix well.
3  Put the mushrooms, open side up, in a roasting pan together with the stalks. Use the
          butter mixture  to fill the mushrooms and top the stalks. Grind black pepper over.
4  Bake at 175C for about 15 minutes until the butter is bubbling and the mushrooms
          look done.

∆               ∆               ∆               ∆               ∆

Red, yellow, green and orange peppers are all lovely roasted, but for the recipe below I wouldn't use green.

Honey-Glazed Roasted Peppers
1  Halve one pepper per person - yellow, red or orange or a mix - and remove stalks, 
          seeds and pithy spines. Cut into strips very roughly 5x2cm.
2  Place in a roasting tin with a little olive or rapeseed oil and stir them around to coat.
3  Roast at 175C for 10 minutes, then drizzle a little clear honey over the pieces and
          return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

∆               ∆               ∆               ∆               ∆

Finally, the humble but sweet and lovely pea. This is my favourite way with them, and the recipe serves 2.

French-Style Peas
1  Melt a good knob of butter in a small pan.
2  Peel and chop a medium onion, then fry gently in the butter until soft - about 7-8 mins.
3  Trim and roughly shred a little gem lettuce (or equivalent cos) and add to the pan,
          frying gently for another 2 mins.
4  Stir in 40ml of stock or white wine, and bring up to a simmer.
5  Add two handfuls of frozen peas or petit pois and simmer 5 more mins.
6 Stir in a little black pepper and half a teaspoon of sugar and heat through.

And that's it. Always worth messing about with vegetables to see which combinations appeal. I like to add toasted flaked almonds or pine nuts to veg generally, but once in a while, a lightly cooked carrot served just with a dob of Flora hits the spot. What am I saying?!

Mushroom Croustade - an easy-to-make favourite

Croustade is a general French term for a savoury pie. They come in various forms, most commonly a topping on a baked bread base and in individual servings. My version is like a straight veg tart but with a more interesting base I think, and of course toppings can be varied. 

The recipe would take 35-40 minutes from start to serving, and makes one croustade to serve two. The base should come out a little crispy and the topping soft and luscious. I'd recommend prepping all the ingredients at the start, then switching on the oven (to 180C) once that's done.

A medium bowl, a medium saucepan and a baking sheet lined with parchment are needed. I'm not a great fan of 'rubbing in' flour and butter, and using a mixer with whisk attachment at lowest speed seems to work just as well.

by Rae Allen

Mushroom Croustade

Ingredients

60g plain flour
30g + 10g softened butter
30g flaked almonds, chopped finely
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely snipped
1 medium egg separated
200g mushrooms, sliced coarsely
2 tbsp white wine, sherry or veg stock
1 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely snipped
20g Cheddar cheese, grated

Method
1  Place the flour and 30g of the butter in the bowl and mix to breadcrumb consistency
          with fingertips or a slow beater.
2  Add the almonds, basil and egg yolk and use fingers or a blunt knife to blend the
          ingredients together to a dough consistency. (It it's still crumbly, add 1 tsp water.)
3  Either roll out thinly and place on the baking sheet, or put the dough directly on the
          sheet and press down by hand until thinly spread. Pinch up the edges to about
          15mm all the way round to make sure the filling won't spill over. Use a pastry 
          brush to make a very thin coating of egg white over the base.
4  Place in the middle of the heated oven for 8 mins, then remove but leave the oven on.
5  Meanwhile, melt the remaining 10g of butter in the pan and fry the mushrooms gently 
          for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in the wine/sherry/stock, cream and parsley
          and simmer for a further 5 mins. Use a slotted spoon to place this mixture on the
          base (so as to leave out any remaining liquid) and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the
          cheese over the croustade and bake for another 8-10 mins until the base is
          browning and the top sizzling.

Good 'sides' would be a green or mixed salad, battered onion rings (baked at the same time as the croustade), honey-roasted parsnips, or buttered Chantenay carrots tossed in dry-toasted pine nuts. Wine: could be a dry white or indeed a light red. For the Spanish touch, serve with a dry nutty fino sherry!

Easy Baked Pasta with Cauliflower and Mushrooms

Keen cooks probably knock up a pasta dish without needing a recipe. However, on this blog I like to include some recipes that don't need any special skill, and to give details of preparation and 'do one thing while another is being done'. The ingredients are inexpensive, too.

 This dish takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to bake. The recipe serves four, and of course the fusilli can be substituted by another bitty pasta. I don't see it with spaghetti or tagliatelle, but papardelle (wide flat strips) might be OK. If the cook is in a hurry, the dish can be put under the grill for 5 minutes instead of baking, but all ingredients except the cheese would need to be hot already. Or, the dish could be made in advance, then microwaved until piping hot and put under the grill.

For speed, I like packet cheese sauces. Asda's own has the advantage of being made up with boiling water; Sainsbury's own is very tasty but needs milk - though I usually use two-thirds milk and one-third water from cooking the cauli. (In this case the powder goes in a pan and the liquid is stirred in before bringing the sauce to the boil.)

by Liz West
via flickr.com

Pasta with Cauliflower and Mushrooms

The oven, set at 160C, should be switched on about 10 minutes into the prep time.
A large oven-proof dish is needed, lightly brushed with oil.

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil

1 medium onion

10 small mushrooms

1 small cauliflower, coarser stalks discarded and the rest cut into large chunks
175g fusilli pasta (spirals)

2 packets of cheese sauce 

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (e.g. sage, parsley) or 1 tbsp of dried
Handful of raw fresh peanuts (optional but lovely)
1 tsp ground black pepper

Matchbox-sized piece of vegetarian cheddar, coarsely grated

by zimpenfish
via flickr.com

Method

1  Put plenty of water on to boil for the cauliflower, and heat the oil in a small pan.
2  Peel and coarsely chop the onion, then add it to the oil and fry gently for 5 mins. 
          Trim the mushrooms, add to the onion, and fry a further 3 minutes.
3  Meanwhile, boil the cauliflower for 6-7 minutes, then lift out and place in the 
          oven-proof dish. 
4  Return the cauli water to the boil and add the pasta. Make up the cheese sauce
          while letting the pasta simmer for 8-9 mins until nearly soft, stirring often.
          Drain and add to the oven dish with the onion mixture.
5  Add the made-up cheese sauce, the herbs, peanuts (if using) and pepper and mix 
          thoroughly.
6  Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over, and bake for about 25 mins until bubbling
          well and the cheese is melted and golden.

Likely veg to serve with this include whole green beans, peas, sweetcorn, grilled halved tomatoes, or roasted red peppers. A chilled cider might go well as an alternative to an Italian white or red wine.