squash, spinach and goats cheese tart

Trying to cling to a bit of summer while the rain pours down and the blustery autumn winds blow. I made these tarts in mini tart cases (from John Lewis) but can just as easily be made as one large tart.

Makes 8 small tarts or one large tart.

Pastry Ingredients
200g {7oz} Plain flour, sifted
100g {3½oz} chilled butter, cubed
½-1 medium egg, beaten
Pinch of salt

Rub the butter, salt and flour together until it forms a breadcrumb texture {or whizz in the food processor}. Add about ½ to ⅔ of the egg {keep the remaining egg for wash} so that it just comes together to form a dough. Flatten out the ball of dough with your hands, wrap in cling film and allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Bake Blind
When chilled, roll out on a floured surface to approximately 4mm thick and line the tart case {or cases} with the pastry. Prick the base of the tart with a fork and line the pastry with foil and fill with dried rice or beans and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180°C {350°F}.
Remove the foil and beans and brush with a little bit of the leftover beaten egg. Put back in the oven for 2 - 3 minutes.

Meanwhile make the filling...

Filling Ingredients
4 eggs, lightly beaten
250ml double cream
A small butternut squash {approx 250g} peeled and cut into chunks
A good handful of spinach , stalks removed
50g chedder cheese, finely grated
150g goats cheese, chopped or sliced into small pieces
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to season

With the oven still set at 180°C {after baking the pastry} place the squash in a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 - 20 minutes.
Wash the spinach and while still slightly wet, place in a pan over a low heat and allow to wilt. Drain away any water and let cool before squeezing out any excess water. Chop roughly.

In a bowl or large jug lightly whisk the eggs and cream together, add half of the grated chedder cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the spinach.

Divide the squash and the goats cheese amongst the tart cases then pour the egg mixture over filling almost to the top. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top with a sprinkling of nutmeg.
Place the tart case or cases onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the tarts to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the tins.

what to do with fresh beetroot...& a lovely couscous

...roast it!

Although there are many lovely Borscht style recipes for fresh beetroot, with my sporadic and small harvest of baby beets and with a slight fear of pink stained fingers, home, and worse still, toddler...It has to be quick, easy and relatively mess-free for me.

Roasting beetroot is simple as;

Wash beetroot,

Chop off the leaves and tail,

{small baby leaves can be eaten raw in salads and larger leaves can be steamed or stir fried}

Place beets on a piece of tin foil,

Season with salt and pepper,

Wrap tin foil around beets,

Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 200°C for 1 - 1½ hours or until tender,

I sometimes pinch the skins off when baked but this isn't necessary.

A lovely couscous

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into discs,

4 baby beets, roasted as above then quartered,

1 tbsp runny honey

1 orange, grated zest and juice,

A handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped,

175g couscous,

175ml vegetable or chicken stock.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the chopped carrots into a small roasting dish with a glug of olive oil and the honey and roast,  for  20 mins or until tender.

Put the couscous into a large mixing bowl and pour over the hot stock. Cover the bowl with cling film and put aside for 5 mins or until the liquid has all been absorbed.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the honeyed carrots and beetroot and finally add the orange juice and zest and chopped dill. Mix together, season and serve while still warm.

Pizza Dough {Donna Hay}

Basic Pizza Dough

1 tbsp dry yeast

1 tsp of caster (superfine) sugar

1 cup (250ml) of lukewarm water

2½ cups (375g) 00 flour

1 tsp of sea salt flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

Place the yeast, sugar and water into a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface this means the yeast has been activated.

Place the flour salt and olive oil into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and mix together with well floured hands to form a dough.

Kneed dough on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Divide the dough into equal-size balls. Place on a lightly floured tray under a clean damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the balls have doubled in size.

Press each dough ball into a round a roll out on a lightly floured surface to the desired size.

To Freeze...Roll out the dough and layer between sheets of non-stick baking paper, cover well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. When ready to use them, heat up a tray, top the frozen base with your favourite toppings and pop into oven.