Spinachandricottapillows Recipes

SPINACH AND RICOTTA PILLOWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6).
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Wash the spinach and put into a pan and cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until wilted and cool slightly and then squeeze out any moisture and finely chop.
• Put the chopped spinach, ricotta and parmesan into a bowl and mix to combine and season with cracked black pepper.
• Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each won ton wrapper and brush the edges with water and fold over to form a triange and then press the edges with a fork to seal.
• Place the pillows on the prepared tray and lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden.

SPINACH & RICOTTA SLICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt half the butter with the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 mins until softened. Remove to a bowl.
• Add a few handfuls of spinach to the pan and cook for a few mins until it has wilted down. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander. Repeat until all the spinach is cooked. Press with the back of a spoon to remove any excess liquid. Now roughly chop and tip into the bowl with the onion. Stir in the nutmeg, ricotta, egg yolks, Parmesan and some seasoning and mix well.
• Roll out one pack of pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 25 x 30cm rectangle, then lay on a large baking sheet. With the longest side facing you, pack the spinach mixture down the middle of the pastry, leaving a 5cm border all the way around. Brush the pastry all the way round with some beaten egg.
• Roll out the second pack of pastry to a rectangle slightly larger than the first. Drape over the top and gently press down the edges to seal both pastry layers together. Trim the edges to neaten and crimp with your fingers, or seal down with a fork.
• Brush all over with beaten egg and, if you like, lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you don't cut all the way through. Bake for 40 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.

SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes (see Tips for freezing, below). Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.
• Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Tomato sauce - Combine the tomatoes, garlic salt, chili flakes, basil, oregano and rosemary.
• Combine the cooked pasta with spinach, ricotta and nutmeg.
• Place the pasta in a dish and top with tomato sauce. Bake in oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh ground black pepper and parmasan.