Italian Cheese Spinach Flan Recipes

Steps:

• Cook cauliflower and broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup cooking liquid. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Cool.
• Rinse spinach, then toss in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just wilted. Drain and cool. Squeeze spinach dry; finely chop.
• Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and reserved 2/3 cup vegetable cooking liquid. Whisk constantly over medium heat until sauce thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and cheese.
• Using fingers, coarsely crumble cauliflower and broccoli in bowl. Add spinach béchamel sauce; stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Butter 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Spread vegetable mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake flan until puffed and heated through, about 25 minutes if at room temperature and 35 minutes if chilled. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Pre heat the oven to 200c (180c fan forced).
• Roll out the dough thinly and line 2 x 20 cm pie plates.
• Place piece of foil in each base and cover with raw rice or pastry weights to prevent pastry from bubbling up during the cooking & prevent shrinking.
• Cook the pastry 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the foil and rice.
• Put eggs & cream in a bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the cheese's. spinach, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and divide the mix between the pastry shells.
• Reduce the oven temp to 185c (165c fan forced) and cook the flans for about 25 minutes or until the centres are set. Remove and cool on rack.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional180C/gas 4. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 6 minutes, drain and cool under the cold tap and thinly slice. Pierce the bag of spinach and microwave for 21⁄2 minutes (or wilt in a pan with 2 tbsp water). When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess moisture and finely chop.
• Beat the cream, eggs and 50g/2oz cheese together in a large bowl. Chop half the anchovies and add to the bowl with the potatoes, spinach and plenty of black pepper. Pour into the pastry case (don't worry if it looks quite rough as this will add to the appearance later) and top with the whole anchovies and the remaining 2 tbsp of parmesan.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes until the mixture is set and the filling is just starting to turn golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tin. Serve warm or cold with a tomato and basil salad, or on its own as a starter.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a blender, add spinach, parsley, milk, goat cheese, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Pour evenly between 3-ounce ramekins (small soufflé dishes) that have been sprayed lightly with EVOO (or non-stick cooking spray). Place ramekins in a large casserole dish. Slowly add boiling water in one corner, being careful not to spill water into ramekins, until half-way up the sides of the ramekins.
• Carefully place into oven and cook until the sides are firm and a little wobble remains in the middle of each ramekin.
• Remove from oven; remove each ramekin from water bath and let cool on cooling rack. When cool, run a sharp knife down the sides of each ramekin and invert onto a warm plate. Serve with the mixed herb salad, a drizzle of EVOO, and a few strips of parmesan.
• Herb Salad Garnish.
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley.
• 1/4 cup fresh tarragon.
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Toss. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Base: Take the flour and salt in a bowl.
• Rub in all the butter till the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Sprinkle around 2 tblps of cold water to form a firm dough.
• Knead until smooth and roll out on a floured board and use to line an 8 inch tin or pie dish.
• Bake open in a preheated oven for 15 mins at 190C or till light brown.
• (the recipe calls for it to be lined with greaseproof paper and filled with baking beans. Not sure what these are so did not do this. It calls for 15 mins of baking. Then the beans have to be removed and the base has to bake for 5 mins more to dry out) Wash the spinach and cook with just the water that stays on the leaves after washing then for about 8 mins.
• Drain and chop coarsely.
• Reserve few 4-5 rings of the pepper for garnish and chop the remaining afer deseeding and cook for around 5 mins in some boiling water.
• Beat the eggs and milk (you can use semi-skimmed milk), then add the chopped onions, spinach, pepper, nutmeg and seasonings.
• Spoon the filling into the flan and cook in the oven (Preheated to 190C again) for 40 mins, or until set.
• Garnish with the pepper slices.
• Can be had hot or cold.
• But not in the pot nine days old!

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a deep 22cm flan tin. Let the edges overhang, don't trim them yet. Chill in the fridge or freezer for at least 15 mins.
• Line the tart case with baking parchment and fill it with baking beans. Place on a baking tray, then bake for 15-20 mins. Remove the beans and parchment, then return to the oven for another 5 mins to cook the base. Remove, then reduce oven temperature to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then cook the mushrooms for 1 min. Add the spinach, then cook for 3 mins more or until wilted down. Combine the eggs with the milk and cream in a jug and season well. Build up the tart by sprinkling the cheese onto the base, then scatter over the vegetables and pour over the cream and egg mix. Sprinkle the thyme over the top, then bake for 40-45 mins or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Trim the pastry edges and serve in slices with the salads, below.