Tag: Pastry

Tomato and Goats Cheese Galette

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This recipe is for anyone who is clinging to these last few warm days of summer. It’s the end of my tomato growing season, my courgette plants are on the brink of shutting down, and the nights are slowly drawing in. So here’s a comforting summer-style galette making the most of those wonderful tomatoes. Other veg that would work well in place of tomatoes here include courgettes, Swiss chard, aubergine, peppers, kale, leeks or even onions – most of these would need cooking either partially, or fully, before placing on top.

Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main

Ingredients

  • 65g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 160g wholemeal plain flour
  • 3 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 100g soft goats cheese
  • 100g cream cheese
  • 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 325g sliced tomatoes
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 40g hard goats cheese

Method

  • Make the pastry by combining the butter, flour and 1 tsp thyme leaves together till it resembles breadcrumbs with your fingertips. Then add 35-40ml ice cold water and bring together to form a dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix the soft goat cheese, cream cheese, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano and pepper together till smooth.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection
  • Roll the dough out to make a large disk approximately 25cm diameter and transfer it onto a lined baking sheet. Spread the cheese mixture over the base, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Layer on the cut tomatoes.
  • Gently fold the edges over onto the filling. Brush the exposed pastry crust with the beaten egg and dust the whole galette with the remaining herbs and hard goats cheese, paying particular attention to the pastry edge.
  • Bake in the oven to 20 minutes till the pastry turns a deeper golden colour and the tomatoes have softened.
  • Delicious served warm or cold for a packed lunch.
I love serving my galette with a side salad with yet more tomatoes

Per sixth: 310kcal/ 20g fat/ 13g saturated fat/ 19g carbohydrates/ 3.4g fibre/ 9.9g protein

Mushroom and Tofu Sausage Rolls

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Mushroom & Tofu Sausage Rolls

For me, sausage rolls come out 2 times during the year; picnics and Christmas! While I do love a meat-based sausage roll, I wanted to create something which non-meat eaters could also enjoy without simply turning to a ready-made vegetarian sausage. This also means I’m having the benefit of plant foods, and less processed red meat which we know can be bad for our health.

You can make a bigger batch of these, partially cook them for 15 minutes and then reheat before your guests arrive for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can freeze them down for longer-term storage. Simply cook from frozen for 15-18 minutes till crisp and piping hot.

These are also perfect for young children as they are naturally lower in salt in comparison to most shop-bought sausage rolls. Additionally, they are a softer texture inside in comparison to meat, which might be more pleasing to younger children.

To make the sausage rolls egg-free, swap the egg glaze for a milk-wash glaze.

Makes 12

Ingredients

  • 5g dried mushrooms
  • 50ml boiling water
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 250g mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 200g firm tofu
  • 10 sprigs thyme
  • 2 sprigs sage
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 250g ricotta
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • a few pinches of seeds e.g. nigella seeds, sesame seeds

Method

  • Pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms to rehydrate them.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion for 5 minutes over a low heat till soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add the fresh and rehydrated mushrooms to the onion mixture and cook till all the liquid evaporates off.
  • Add the tofu, herbs and spices and cook till dry again.
  • Drain any excess liquid off the ricotta. Add to a large mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs and the mushroom mixture. Mix well and allow to fully cool to fridge temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection
  • Meanwhile, cut the pastry sheet into 2 pieces through the longer edge to create two smaller rectangles. Shape the mushroom mixture into the centre of the two pieces of pastry, leaving a large gap on either long edge.
  • Using the egg, paint across one edge to act as glue. Take the edge without the egg on it and fold it over the mushroom mixture, rolling it onto the egg-washed edge to seal.
  • Cut each log into 6 pieces and place on a lined baking tray. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with seeds.
  • Bake in the oven for 25 minutes till golden brown and crispy.
  • Enjoy hot, or cold
Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

Per sausage roll: 255kcal/ 16g fat/ 7.3g saturated fat/ 14g carbohydrates/ 2.1g fibre/ 12g protein

Christmas Leftover Pie

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With so many people being left with extra food this year, try turning it into delicious meals of their own. This is made using all the usual leftover foods I have from Christmas Day.

This leftover turkey pie recipe can be used all year round, replace the turkey with leftover roast chicken, swap the sprouts for leeks, carrots, spinach, broccoli or even asparagus; anything goes. You could even swap the turkey stock for leftover turkey gravy.

This also works with meat substitutes for those wishing to make a vegetarian version of this pie.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 30g butter
  • 125g mushrooms, sliced
  • 250g Brussel sprouts, sliced
  • 4 rashers of bacon or 2 slices of ham
  • 50g plain flour
  • 300g turkey, chicken or vegetable stock
  • 150ml double cream
  • 5 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped
  • 15g chives, finely chopped
  • 300g cooked turkey
  • 250g frozen peas
  • 300g puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

  • Gently fry the onions with the butter in a large pan for 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms and cooking for a further 5 minutes.
  • Add the sprouts and bacon cooking for a further 5 minutes.
  • Add the flour and coat all of the vegetables and bacon. Slowly add the stock with 100ml of water, stirring constantly to create a smooth sauce. Add the double cream, herbs, turkey and peas.
  • Allow the mixture to cool completely.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection.
  • Add the turkey mix into a large ovenproof dish.
  • Roll the pastry to fit the size of your dish.
  • Pain the edge of the dish with the beaten egg before laying the pastry lid over the top. Gently press down to create a seal.
  • Cut a hole in the top to allow the steam to escape and glaze the pie with the egg.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes till puffed up and golden brown.

Per sixth: 556kcal/ 37.2 fat/ 20.7g saturated fat/ 27.3g carbohydrates/ 4.3g fibre/ 26.0g protein

Festive Lentil, Mushroom and Chestnut Wellington

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My Festive Lentil, Mushroom and Chestnut Wellington is sure to be a crowd-pleaser this Christmas. Packed full of flavours you would expect to find at Christmas and wrapped up in puff pastry. What is not to like?

This recipe is easily adapted to most dietary requirements. Swap the butter pastry to a butter-free puff pastry and swap the egg glaze for a mylk wash to give the pastry a lovely golden glow.

To make the wellington gluten-free use a gluten-free pastry and gluten-free oats. If you can’t find the oats, use 100g gluten-free flour in place of the oats and rice flour.

You can also swap a few ingredients around to suit what you fancy. If your festive tipple is not port, you could swap it for red wine, cognac or even keep it alcohol-free by using a little stock. Other herbs that would work well in this wellington include thyme, parsley or marjoram. You could also use dried herbs, but watch out as these can really pack a punch, so half a teaspoon should be plenty to give flavour. You could even change the almonds for alternative nuts such as pistachios or walnuts to give different dietary nutrients; walnuts are the only tree nut to contain significant amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid which can be converted in the body to EPA and DHA fats found in oily fish. Great for anyone following a strictly plant-based diet or for those who don’t eat fish.

Serves 6-8

Ingredient

  • 120g green lentils
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • 200g mushrooms, finely diced
  • 10 sage leaves, sliced
  • 50g almonds, roughly chopped
  • 90g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
  • 50g dried cranberries
  • 60ml port
  • 50g rice flour
  • 50g cut oats
  • 400g puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

  • Wash the lentils in cold water. Add the bay leaves and bring the lentils to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes till the lentils are soft.
  • Meanwhile cook the oil and onion together over a low heat till soft and translucent.
  • Add the mushrooms to the onions and cook the mushrooms till the juices start to thicken slightly. Add the sage and cook for a further minute till fragrant.
  • Once the lentils are cooked, drain, remove the bay leaves and lightly mash. Add the mushroom mixture to the lentils followed by the almonds, chestnuts, cranberries, port, flour and cut oats. Mix to combine and season to taste.
  • Allow the mixture to cool completely.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection.
  • Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
  • Roll the pastry into a 35cm by 25cm rectangle. Cut lengthways down to make a 10cm by 35cm smaller rectangle. Remove 2cm from this piece to create a rectangle approximately 10cm by 33cm.
  • Place the now cooled mixture on this smaller rectangle of pastry, leaving a 1cm gap all around the edge, into a large log shape from short end to short end.
  • Using the egg, paint over the pastry seam. Lift the remaining larger rectangle of pastry over the mixture and press the pastry to seal with a fork.
  • Trim any excess pastry and use it to decorate the top of the pie.
  • Cut a small hole in the top of the wellington to allow the steam to escape and glaze the whole pie with an egg wash.
  • Bake the wellington for 25-30 minutes till golden brown all over.

Per sixth: 629kcal/ 25.3 fat/ 13.1g saturated fat/ 60.8g carbohydrates/ 8.0g fibre/ 18.3g protein

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Quiche

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This is my brother’s favourite quiche. Full of delicious spinach, and a surprise ingredient, cottage cheese. I’ve added a few extra ingredients to the traditional recipe we originally used, this is to add a little extra fibre diversity, but also gives a little more depth of flavour.

The surprising use of cottage cheese in this dish means that some of the cream is replaced by this lower-fat dairy product. Cottage cheese is a low-fat cheese made using both curds and whey, meaning it retains some of the protein found in some dairy products. The little curds stay whole in the quiche so you get delicious nuggets of soft cheese throughout the quiche, giving an amazing texture and taste to the dish. No wonder it has been a favourite of my brothers for such a long time!

If you don’t have a 9″ flan tin, you can make smaller quiches using cupcake or muffin trays. Growing up my mum would always make these for birthday parties, so making mini individual quiches is perfect for hungry little fingers! It also freezes really well; if you want to serve them hot from the freezer, only partially cook them the first time round so you can re-crisp the pastry in the oven after defrosting.

This is perfect as a light dinner, or even served cold at a picnic or to take to work for lunch. I love serving it simply with a salad.

If you don’t want to make your own pastry then shop bought is fine. I use a full butter recipe in my shortcrust pastry recipe, but for those who need to watch their saturated fat intakes, using shop bought vegetable fat based shortcrust pastry is an option here. If you need to make a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free pastry, or alternatively if you want a crustless quiche butter the sides of a cake tin.

Serves 4 as a main, 6 for a lighter lunch or starter

Ingredients

  • 260g shortcrust pastry
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 400g spinach, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 nutmeg, grated
  • 300g cottage cheese
  • 3 large eggs
  • 50 parmesan, grated
  • 90ml double cream
  • 100g tomatoes, sliced

Method

  • Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 2mm and line a 9″ flan tin, leaving excess pastry overhanging the edge. Chill in the fridge.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan, 190°C convection, and once up to temperature, prick the base of the pastry with a fork and blind bake the pastry case using non-stick paper and baking beans or dried rice for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the baking beans and paper and return the tin to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in the oil till soft before adding the spinach and cooking until all the water evaporates. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  • Mix the cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan and double cream together and season with nutmeg and pepper to taste.
  • Once the spinach has cooled, add to the wet ingredients and mix before pouring into the pastry case.
  • Top with sliced tomatoes and bake for 30-35 minutes till puffed up and golden brown*^.

Per sixth of a quiche: 376kcal/ 22.9g fat/ 13.5g saturated fat/ 24.9g carbohydrates/ 2.0g fibre/ 16.4g protein

*If freezing, part bake for 15-20 minutes till puffed up but without a golden brown colour. Allow to cool fully before storing in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan, 190°C convection, place back into the tin, and bake for 15 minutes till golden brown.

^If making mini individual quiches cook for 15-20 minutes.

Mince Pies

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Whether you made your own mincemeat or not, there are still ways to help increase the diversity of plant fibres in your mince pies. You could try adding in some extra dried fruit to bought mincemeat, zesting in some clementine zest, or try adding carrot like in my own mincemeat recipe. And you don’t have to stop there, you can even change the pastry!

In my recipe, I use a mixture of shortcrust pastry to stay traditional, but use a crumble topping instead, keeping it lighter, but also so it allows me to include more plant sources. I use both oats and ground almonds in my crumble.

Each of my mince pies contains around double that of shop bought mince pies. I always find it harder to include fibrous foods over the festive period as there are so many treats to eat! My homemade mince pies contain 8 different source of plant-based goodness, and research shows those who eat 30 or more different sources of plant-based foods per week have an increased variety of gut microbiota in comparison those who eat 10 or fewer different sources. So feed your microbiome!

These mince pies are delicious served warm with vanilla custard, a true Christmas time treat.

If you want to make vegan mince pies, use a pre-made vegetable oil based shortcrust pastry and top with the crumble mixture substituting the butter for rapeseed oil.

Makes 12 deep-filled mince pies

Recipe

  • 750g mincemeat, shop bought or homemade
  • Short crust pastry, either bought or homemade (see below)
  • 75g plain flour
  • 50g fridge cold butter
  • 25g rolled oats
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 25g soft light brown sugar

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan
  • Roll the pastry out to 2mm, around the thickness of a 2p coin.
  • Cut disks of pastry out to 11-12cm diameter and line a muffin tray.
  • Fill each case with mincemeat, leaving a little gap at the top.
  • Make the crumble topping by mixing the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • Add the oats, almonds and sugar and combine.
  • Top each mince pie with a spoonful of the crumble topping*.
  • Bake for 22-25 minutes till golden brown.
  • Cool on a wire rack

To make your own shortcrust pastry combine 225g plain flour with 100g cold butter till it resemble bread crumbs. Add just enough cold water to form a dough. Wrap and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling.

Mince Pies

Per Mince Pie 327kcal/ 13.7g fat/ 4.5g saturated fat/ 48.1g carbohydrates/ 2.5 fibre/ 3.2g protein

*Crumble topping makes enough for 24 mince pies