Gordon's spinach, feta and pine nut tart

SERVES 4

This tart is based on the Greek spanakopita, but my version uses shortcrust pastry.

Ingredients

300 shortcrust pastry
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sweet onions, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g spinach leaves, washed and drained
Nutmeg, to grate
250g feta cheese, crumbled
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
200ml double cream
50g toasted pine nuts
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Method

1 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then use it to line a 23-25cm tart tin, 3-4cm deep, with a removable base. Press the pastry into the edges of the tin and leave a little excess overhanging the sides. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions with a little salt and pepper. Stir frequently over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes until soft but not browned. Wilt the spinach leaves in a large pan in several batches. Stir them over a medium-to-high heat until they’ve just wilted, then transfer to a colander set over a large bowl. Press down on the spinach with the back of a ladle to squeeze out the excess water, allow to cool slightly, then roughly chop into smaller pieces.

3 Put the onion and spinach in a large bowl and grate over a little nutmeg. Add the feta, egg, egg yolk, cream and a generous grinding of black pepper. Add a pinch of salt to taste, bearing in mind that the feta is already salty. Finally, fold in the pine nuts and 3 tablespoons of the parmesan. Chill until ready to use.

4 Heat the oven to 200C. Line the pastry with kitchen foil and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15-20 minutes until the sides are lightly golden. Remove the foil and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the base is golden and there are no uncooked patches left. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 170C/Gas 3. Use a sharp knife to trim off the overhanging pastry, then set aside to cool.

5 Spread the filling evenly over the pastry shell, then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling has set. Cool slightly before unmoulding, slicing and serving.

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne with Pine Nuts

(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients

For the sauce:
425 ml milk
25 g butter
25 g plain flour
1 bay leaf
30 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), freshly grated (see recipe introduction)
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the lasagne:

300 g young leaf spinach
100 g ricotta (see recipe introduction)
6 fresh lasagne sheets (weighing about 125 g)
25 g pine nuts
knob of butter
¼ whole nutmeg, grated
100 g Gorgonzola, Shropshire Blue or Cashel Blue cheese, crumbled
100 g Mozzarella, coarsely grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 180°C.

You will also need an ovenproof dish measuring about 6 cm deep, well buttered.


Begin this by making the sauce, which can be done using the all-in-one method. This means placing the milk, butter, flour and bay leaf together in a saucepan, giving it a good seasoning, then, over a medium heat, whisking the whole lot together continually until it comes to simmering point and has thickened. Now turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. After that, stir in 25 g of the Parmesan, then remove it from the heat, discard the bay leaf and place some clingfilm over the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Now you need to deal with the spinach. First of all remove and discard the stalks, then wash the leaves really thoroughly in 2 or 3 changes of cold water and shake them dry. Next, take your largest saucepan, pop the knob of butter in it, then pile the spinach leaves in on top, sprinkling them with a little salt as you go. Now place the pan over a medium heat, put a lid on and cook the spinach for about 2 minutes, turning the leaves over halfway through. After that, the leaves will have collapsed down and become tender.

Next drain the spinach in a colander and, when it's cool enough to handle, squeeze it in your hands to get rid of every last drop of liquid. Then place it on a chopping board and chop it finely. Now put it into a bowl, add the ricotta, then approximately 75 ml of the sauce. Give it a good seasoning of salt and pepper and add the grated nutmeg. Then mix everything together really thoroughly and, finally, fold in the crumbled Gorgonzola.

Now you need to place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the pine nuts and dry-fry them for about 1 minute, tossing them around to get them nicely toasted but being careful that they don't burn. Then remove the pan from the heat and assemble the lasagne. To do this, spread a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish and, on top of that, a third of the spinach mixture, followed by a scattering of toasted pine nuts. Now place sheets of pasta on top of this – you may need to tear some of them in half with your hands to make them fit. Now repeat the whole process, this time adding a third of the grated Mozzarella along with the pine nuts, then the lasagne sheets. Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella. When you are ready to cook the lasagne, place it on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Then remove it from the oven and let it settle for about 10 minutes before serving.

Roast vegetable and feta salad

(serves 2)

Ingredients

2 red onions, quartered and sliced
2 plum tomatoes / handful of cherry tomatoes
3 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
1 small aubergine, thickly sliced
extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 tsp chopped thyme
200 g canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1/2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
100 g Feta cheese, crumbled
freshly ground salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C

2. Arrange the onions, tomatoes, garlic and aubergine in a single layer in a large shallow roasting pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with the rosemary and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally, until the onions are browned and sticky round the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.

4. Scatter the chick-peas and spinach over a large serving plate. Season to taste.

5. Arrange the roasted vegetables on top. Sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature.