Hello Dear Reader,
Most of my meals cost under £1 a head; sometimes I allow that budget to go over, knowing that some days we eat a veggie stew and the whole budget balances out of the week. You’ve heard of Tesco Finest, well I’m introducing some recipes that are Froogs’ Finest. I’ll start with Salmon, Mushroom and Spinach Tart.
You will need:
Shortcrust pastry - mine’s from Aldi
A pack of spinach - well washed with the stalks pulled off,
Half a punnet of mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped into chunks.
A small knob of butter,
6 eggs - well beaten and seasoned
2 Salmon fillets - steamed in the microwave for three minutes.
100g of grated cheddar - I used half fat
1. Blind bake the pastry case - it’s better without the soggy bottom.
2. Steam a fillet of salmon, leave to cool and flake.
3. Fry the mushrooms.
4. Add the spinach and cook lightly until just wilted.
5. Assemble into the pastry case.
6. Pour beaten eggs onto the spinach and salmon.
7. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
8.Bake in a moderate oven until the egg has set and the cheese has melted.
9. Serve with rocket - or anything you want - it’s Friday night so we treated ourselves to a 90p bag of rocket from Aldi - the rest is left for our lunch tomorrow.
Next, is the same ingredients again but with only one beaten egg. I rolled out some puff pastry, again ready made and from Aldi and spread the mixture over it.
I next rolled the whole thing into a tube.
I cut them into pin wheels, as if I was making sausage rolls. I placed them on a baking tray covered in greaseproof paper and baked them in a hot oven for 20-30 minutes. You could glaze them with beaten egg but that seemed a waste to me.
Here’s the final result. They are very filling and one with some salad will suffice for lunch. You could make a refined smaller version of these and serve them at a buffet or bigger and send them off with the children for lunch. I used half a bag frozen Alaskan Salmon from Aldi which cost £2 to make a tart for six and ten salmon and spinach pinwheels. This is a more expensive Friday night treat but we’d been working up to a nice treat all week.
Ready for the close up? I think they’re good enough for a party.
Over to you Dear Reader. Does any one have any quick ideas for puff pastry to make either a picnic item or packed lunch morsel? It’s calorific so does anyone avoid it? I’m a great believer in a tasty treat a week, does anyone else share that point of view? Also, the voting for the MAD blog awards ends soon so if you could cast your vote my way, then I would be extremely grateful. Finally, I have a new ‘hotmail’ and I can’t work it just yet so if you’ve left a message that you’re coming to one of my workshops- can you leave me a comment with your email address - which I will not publish - so I can confirm the upcoming workshops.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Please vote by clicking the link and following the instructions to Best Food Blog and Best Thrifty Blog - thanks for your support xxxx
Hi Froogs,
I like the puff pastry too, you only have to pop it over a filling and it looks a pretty impressive pie. I add cheese and onion to mash and make pasties for packed lunches and sometimes I just score around the edge of a flat piece and slice some mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and it makes a lovely flan type slice.
Am trying to lose weight so don't have it too often.
X
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Both look fabulous! I haven't played around much with puff pastry, but I think we may have to these.
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Those pinwheels do look good enough for party! I haven't used puff pastry before and wouldn't want the calories on a regular basis but as a dish for a party - absolutely delicious.
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Hi Froogs, if you would like year round free rocket, buy a packet of seed and sprinkle it in a corner of your garden. It grows like a weed and will flourish anywhere. It self-seeds prolifically. I have to keep pulling it up from between paving stones. Can't believe the price they charge for it in shops and restaurants..
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Your cooking looks mouth watering Froogs, all that after a busy work week too. I am intrigued to know what rocket is, I have never heard of it before, I do not think that we get it here in the US. It looks like arugula, maybe it is with a different name.
Have a great weekend. Pam in TX.xx
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Oh my, looks like we will be having a copy cat dinner tomorrow, I have mushrooms and spinach in the fridge and some salmon in the freezer. We had spiced up chick peas and mushrooms on a bed of wilted spinach tonight, lovely.
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Pastry is another no no in this household. It is a rare treat.
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I love onion tart! Not with puff pastry but with shortcrust. It's a great”end of the week” meal; all you need is a wee bit of shortcrust and a few onions. And the secret of a great onion tart is to cook lots of chopped onions very slowly in a good knob of butter for about half an hour. Then mix in an egg, seasoning, and you can add some cheese or not. If it is to be a bit special add some grated Gruyere-but cheddar will do. It's the deep luscious oniony filling that really makes it though. Put the filling into the tart and cook until the centre feels set. Oven about 190C. Delicious served warm but not hot. I bake the case blind for an extra crispy bottom. It's also good cold next day for lunch. I put left over curry or stew in puff pastry pasties and freeze for future meals. If there isn't very much curry then add some chick peas or beans to make it go further.
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Hi Pam, out of curiousity I googled “arugula” and it is another name for “rocket”!
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Love this…I made leftover pastry from a leftovers pie to make a “fause cake” with some sultanas and a tiny bit of butter…was delicious x
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Your tart and pinwheels look absolutely gorgeous! Can I make a suggestion : to make the tart more frugal but no less gorgeous, replace two of the eggs with a good splash of milk.
I seldom use puff pastry, mainly because I would never faff about making it, and would have to think ahead to buy it! No problem, I think , for an occasional treat!
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Love your recipes I am making those also from time to time - but it's good to get reminded.
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That looks utterly delicious!
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Thank you Jillian, much appreciated!
Pam in TX.
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Just caught up with that post and couldn't help commenting. The food looks divine and I swear I could smell its goodness from here !
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