Last year I made individual veg and nut layered roasts ( the recipe is on the separate page) this year mini pies using Puff pastry,squash,chard and Mascarpone cheese. The recipe is adapted from 2 I found online and really should be made in one of those 4-on-a-tray Yorkshire pudding tins, but I don't have one so did them in my deepest bun tray tin.
Christmas Veggie Pies
Half a pack of puff pastry ( when I buy these I always cut them in quarters before putting them in the freezer)
The narrow end of 1 small squash
Colander of chard (or equivalent bought spinach leaves), wilted, chopped and drained really well.
Half Tub of mascarpone cheese.
Ground black pepper
Squirts of tomato puree ( or mustard)
I rolled out the pastry as thin as possible and cut large circles,fitted them carefully into the bun tin and put a squirt of tomato puree in the bottom of each (one recipe said mustard ). Slicing the narrow end of the squash into very thin rounds - after peeling of course. I then layered squash slices, spinach and cheese finishing with squash- ground pepper on each layer, brush the edges with water and cut circles to fit. Slide the tray into a big freezer bag and freeze. If only I had thought of it I could have cut some holly leaves from the pastry off cuts.
I made these for the first time last week to check they were going to be OK. After taking out of the freezer I cut a couple of slits in the top of each pie and brushed with egg.
They were cooked on a medium oven temp for about 30mins I think ( I'm a bit vague about temps and times sorry.) Anyway we ate them with roast potatoes and parsnips and Brussels sprouts and they were very tasty. I've made them again today and added a few snips of dried tomato with the cheese.
When these are served on Christmas day, I'm going to warm some cranberry sauce to spoon over the top.
I'm always worried when I pass on home concocted recipes in case people try them and think they are awful because me and Col eat almost everything home made with great enjoyment! We had 1 and a half each and that was enough but reheated the other 3 in the microwave next day and they were good too. You could make half this amount, but it seemed silly to fiddle about for just 3 pies. I shall keep R company on Christmas day and join her with eating these and I expect some the other family members will want to try a bit too.
What else happened yesterday?
Ah yes, I spent nearly 2 hours searching for one of the sets of car keys, I'd locked the car up Wednesday but where the heck had I put them. I went up and down the garden around all the sheds, in the freezer, amongst all the shoes and coats in the utility room, every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen, dirty laundry basket, in the garden shed, in the wood shed. All round the field ( even though I'd walked round the field in the morning and lost the keys in the afternoon!). Eventually after I'd been everywhere three times I found them........in the peg bag hanging on the back of the utility room door! How? Then I remembered, on the way back from locking up the car I'd got the washing in, didn't have a pocket for the keys so laid them on top of the peg bag on top of the laundry.
Phew. Hate losing things.
I keep forgetting to say that the advent photos are linked to Julie's Scrapbook where you can find several other people's advent pictures or on Julies blog some wonderful old cartoons.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
