Those of you that follow me on Instagram will know lots of my recipes are born from my experiments in the kitchen. Call it madness or genius, some of my most loved recipes actually come from breaking the mould and trying out some unconventional cooking methods! Take for example my Sweet Ghee Niblets or my Quick Tandoori Chicken Wings, recipes which were devised unconventionally but that actually work and that is what I’m hoping you will find after trying out this recipe too. I love making quiches or tarts for tea or dinner, as you can throw in whatever is sitting in the bottom of the vegetable drawer and make a decent meal out of it. This was one such dish I threw together one day for lunch for my husband and myself and it was highly requested, so here it is!

I have used spinach and mushrooms in this recipe but you can always replace those with another vegetable of your choice. As the tarts are made in small pastry cases you need to ensure you finely chop the ingredients otherwise the ingredients won’t fit into the cases properly; I’ve used a dicing gadget to chop my vegetables finely but if you don’t have one of these gadgets don’t worry, use a food processor or knife instead. This recipe doesn’t rely on strong flavours (except for maybe the cheese) which is one of the reasons why it tastes so delicious, the simple flavours of the ingredients work really well and result in a tart that is enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

I almost always make my own shortcrust pastry (which is made using just butter, plain flour and seasoning) however I wanted to see the effect of using an egg in the pastry and how it affected the texture – the conclusion I came to was that adding an egg to the pastry makes it richer and more dense. So rather than a soft, buttery, crumbly texture which is what I normally enjoy, adding an egg in the pastry made it firmer and actually made a nice change. The very first time I made these tarts I added a whole egg, the whites and the yolk, the second time I made them I wanted to see how adding just the yolk worked; I noted that adding a whole egg worked better as the pastry didn’t puff up after being blind baked as they did in the steps shown here, so decide what works better for you (if you find separating an egg tricky stick to adding the whole egg to the pastry). Should you want a crumbly pastry use: 250g of plain flour, 125g of cold butter, a generous pinch of salt, ice cold water to bind together, leave out the egg and don’t overwork the dough. If you’re really short on time just use ready rolled shortcrust pastry, it’s just as good, lol! I sincerely hope these tarts go down a storm at your dining tables.

Makes 7 – 8 tarts

You will need: for Afelia’s Spinach Mushroom Savoury Tarts

For the pastry:

250g plain flour
100g butter/margarine
1 egg yolk (or use a whole egg if you find separating difficult, read notes above)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 – 5 tbsp of ice cold water

For the filling:

1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
180g closed cup mushrooms
100g washed spinach
1 tbsp of oil
1/2 tsp salt
100ml milk
2 eggs
2 – 3 handfuls of grated cheese (add as much or as little as you like)
1/4 tsp of salt
ground black pepper (to taste)

Method:

We will start by first making our pastry for the tarts, I am using a stand mixer but you can easily make this pastry by hand.

Measure 250g of plain flour into a large mixing bowl, add 100g of butter/margarine (chilled)….

….ONLY IF YOU ARE USING A STAND MIXER, add 1 egg yolk (or a whole egg if you find separating it difficult, they both have pretty much the same effect), 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper. Using the beater attachment on your stand mixer, beat the ingredients till they resemble fresh breadcrumbs.

IF YOU ARE USING YOUR HANDS, rub the flour and butter together till they resemble breadcrumbs. THEN add 1 egg yolk (or a whole egg if you find separating it difficult, they both have pretty much the same effect), 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper.

This (top left photo) is what your mixture should look like at this point.

If you are using a stand mixer change the beater attachment for a dough hook (bottom left photo) and using ice cold water add 1 tbsp at a time, till the breadcrumb mixture comes together to form a ball of dough (bottom right photo). I used just over 5 tbsp but you may want to eyeball the amount and stop when it comes together.

The same method applies if you are using your hands; mix the breadcrumb mixture adding 1 tbsp of ice cold water at a time till the mixture forms a ball of dough.

Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Peel and finely dice 1 large onion, 2 cloves of garlic….

….200g of closed cup mushrooms and roughly chop 100g of spinach.

In a medium sized non stick pan add 1 tbsp of oil, once hot add the diced onion….

….2 cloves of diced garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt and cover to gently cook the onions for a few minutes.

Once the onion is translucent, add the diced mushrooms….

….and the roughly chopped spinach. Cover the saucepan to extract all of the moisture from the ingredients and then cook uncovered till the moisture has evaporated (might take up to 10 minutes). Leave the filling to cool to one side.

In a jug measure 100ml of milk….

….add 2 eggs and the whites of the egg separated from earlier (if you did this), followed by 3 handfuls of grated cheddar and 1/4 of a tsp of salt and ground black pepper to your taste. Mix well using a whisk and leave to one side.

Turn on your oven once the dough has chilled for 30 minutes and preheat to gas mark 6.

Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface, aim for a thickness of 3 – 4mm.

I am using loose bottomed mini tart pans that measure 10cm wide for this recipe. Cut out circles using something slightly larger than the tart pans themselves, as they will need to come up the insides of the tart pans, I found this lid that measured 11.5cm that worked for me.

Place the cut pastry circle in the centre of a tart pan….

….and using your fingers push the pastry into the crimped edge of the tart pans and up the edges, this step is important to ensure you achieve a crimped edge on your tarts. Bring together the scraps of pastry into a ball and repeat the rolling and cutting process till all of the tart pans have been filled. Depending on how thick/thin you rolled out the pastry you will get between 7 – 8 pastry cases.

Blind bake these in the oven for 15 minutes, to prevent the pastry from puffing up during baking use baking beads (I didn’t bother). Alternatively don’t blind bake them and skip to the next step; I conducted a test by blind baking some of the pastry cases and just filling the others without blind baking, I didn’t notice huge difference between the baked ones and the unbaked ones.

After 15 minutes take out the pastry cases, using a knife or similar object release any air from any air pockets that may have formed as a result of baking (top left photo).

Fill the baked pastry cases with 1 tsp of the spinach and mushroom filling and level out using the back of a spoon. Distribute as much of the filling as possible into the cases ensuring there is enough room for the eggy mixture.

Take the milk, egg and cheese mixture and using a ladle mix before filling the cases, ensuring there is an even distribution of liquid and cheese on each tart.

Return to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes (the oven should still be set at gas mark 6) or until golden brown.

Serve Afelia’s Spinach Mushroom Savoury Tarts with a mixed leafy salad as a starter or enjoy as a light lunch. You can even enjoy these mini tarts and bake a day before as part of a picnic lunch.

Bon Appetit!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Afelia's Spinach Mushroom Savoury Tarts

 

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Author: Afelia's Kitchen

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 250g plain flour
• 100g butter/margarine
• 1 egg yolk (or use a whole egg if you find separating difficult, read notes above)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 4 - 5 tbsp of ice cold water

For the filling:

• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 180g closed cup mushrooms
• 100g washed spinach
• 1 tbsp of oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 100ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 - 3 handfuls of grated cheese (add as much or as little as you like)
• ¼ tsp of salt
• ground black pepper (to taste)

Method

1. We will start by first making our pastry for the tarts, I am using a stand mixer but you can easily make this pastry by hand.
2. Measure 200g of plain flour into a large mixing bowl, add 100g of butter/margarine (chilled)....
3. ONLY IF YOU ARE USING A STAND MIXER, add 1 egg yolk (or a whole egg if you find separating it difficult, they both have pretty much the same effect), ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of ground black pepper. Using the beater attachment on your stand mixer, beat the ingredients till they resemble fresh breadcrumbs.
4. IF YOU ARE USING YOUR HANDS, rub the flour and butter together till they resemble breadcrumbs. THEN add 1 egg yolk (or a whole egg if you find separating it difficult, they both have pretty much the same effect), ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of ground black pepper.
5. This (top left photo) is what your mixture should look like at this point.
6. If you are using a stand mixer change the beater attachment for a dough hook (bottom left photo) and using ice cold water add 1 tbsp at a time, till the breadcrumb mixture comes together to form a ball of dough (bottom right photo). I used just over 5 tbsp but you may want to eyeball the amount and stop when it comes together.
7. The same method applies if you are using your hands; mix the breadcrumb mixture adding 1 tbsp of ice cold water at a time till the mixture forms a ball of dough.
8. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
9. Peel and finely dice 1 large onion, 2 cloves of garlic....
10. g of closed cup mushrooms and roughly chop 100g of spinach.
11. In a medium sized non stick pan add 1 tbsp of oil, once hot add the diced onion....
12. cloves of diced garlic, ½ tsp of salt and cover to gently cook the onions for a few minutes.
13. Once the onion is translucent, add the diced mushrooms....
14. and the roughly chopped spinach. Cover the saucepan to extract all of the moisture from the ingredients and then cook uncovered till the moisture has evaporated (might take up to 10 minutes). Leave the filling to cool to one side.
15. In a jug measure 100ml of milk....
16. add 2 eggs and the whites of the egg separated from earlier (if you did this), followed by 3 handfuls of grated cheddar and ¼ of a tsp of salt and ground black pepper to your taste. Mix well using a whisk and leave to one side.
17. Turn on your oven once the dough has chilled for 30 minutes and preheat to gas mark 6.
18. Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface, aim for a thickness of 3 - 4mm.
19. I am using loose bottomed mini tart pans that measure 10cm wide for this recipe. Cut out circles using something slightly larger than the tart pans themselves, as they will need to come up the insides of the tart pans, I found this lid that measured 11.5cm that worked for me.
20. Place the cut pastry circle in the centre of a tart pan....
21. and using your fingers push the pastry into the crimped edge of the tart pans and up the edges, this step is important to ensure you achieve a crimped edge on your tarts. Bring together the scraps of pastry into a ball and repeat the rolling and cutting process till all of the tart pans have been filled. Depending on how thick/thin you rolled out the pastry you will get between 7 - 8 pastry cases.
22. Blind bake these in the oven for 15 minutes, to prevent the pastry from puffing up during baking use baking beads (I didn't bother). Alternatively don't blind bake them and skip to the next step; I conducted a test by blind baking some of the pastry cases and just filling the others without blind baking, I didn't notice huge difference between the baked ones and the unbaked ones.
23. After 15 minutes take out the pastry cases, using a knife or similar object release any air from any air pockets that may have formed as a result of baking (top left photo).
24. Fill the baked pastry cases with 1 tsp of the spinach and mushroom filling and level out using the back of a spoon. Distribute as much of the filling as possible into the cases ensuring there is enough room for the eggy mixture.
25. Take the milk, egg and cheese mixture and using a ladle mix before filling the cases, ensuring there is an even distribution of liquid and cheese on each tart.
26. Return to the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes (the oven should still be set at gas mark 6) or until golden brown.

3.5.3208

3.5.3208

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