Spinach Pie

The perfect pie for a sunny summer dinner or picnic in the park.

Wash thoroughly a bunch of spinach, mint and parsley and spring onions and cut up roughly into bowl, steam in the microwave and then drain a let it cool slightly.

Then add 6 eggs, 250gms ricotta, 250gms feta, 1 tspn nutmeg and pepper and mix together.

Take a pack of Filo pastry and use half the packet for the base, oiling a couple at a time between laying sheets of pastry.  Add spinach filling then lay the rest of the sheets, oiling every 2-3 sheets. 

Once all layered make sure the top is oiled well, then before placing in oven, cut on the diagonal criss-cross. 

Cook in the oven at 180c for about 30-40 mins, until set.

To serve with this I did Italian beans. Add 1/3 cup Olive oil in a saucepan and fry 6 cloves of chopped garlic and a 1/4 cup of fresh roughly chopped Rosemary over a low heat. Once softened add a can of diced tomatoes. Keep stirring over gentle heat until the oil and tomato are combined. Then add 2 can of Cannellini beans and stir until warm and combined. This is a great addition with pork dishes as well.

Whole Snapper with Creamy Sauce

On Good Friday we enjoyed a whole snapper. This was caught by one of our friends, who kindly gave it to us.

On Good Friday we enjoyed a whole snapper. This was caught by one of our friends, who kindly gave it to us.

I would give it a good wash, and insert lemon slices into cavity of fish, sprinkle fresh parsley on top and then season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking tray, with 3/4 of a bottle of our Andrew Peace Chardonnay. sealing it with foil or a lid and let it poach for a about 30-40 minutes. You could add a couple of dollops of butter, if you like it to be a bit richer.

Meanwhile you can make the sauce by combining the following:

1 clove garlic
20 gram Butter
50 gram white wine(Andrew Peace Chardonnay)
80 gram cream
20 gram lemon, freshly squeezed
5 gram cornflour

Serve with garlic and onion herbed potatoes, French bean salad and crusty bread...

Delicious Aubergine Scallopini!

We had some guests over on Thursday night and this particular dish was one they really liked so I thought I would share it with you.

We had some guests over on Thursday night and this particular dish was one they really liked so I thought I would share it with you.

 

We sampled a variety of wines with this dish and our favourite was our 2008 Clare Valley Riesling and our new 2014 Premium Barrel Reserve Langhorne Creek Cabernet Wrattonbully shiraz.

 

Aubergine(EGGPLANT) Scallopini

Ingredients
•2 Large (about 550g each) Aubergines
•2 - 3 Cups of breadcrumbs
•Bunch of fresh herbs (Parsley and Oregano)
•Half a cup of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
•2 Eggs
•1 Tin of Passata Sauce
•Mozzarella cheese
•Basil leaves for decoration
•Salt and pepper

Method
•Cut the aubergines lengthways into 7mm thick slices, place into a colander and sprinkle lightly with salt. Leave for 20 minutes, then wash and drain.
•Mix the breadcrumbs with the herbs (you can use dried herbs if you like), black pepper and the half cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
•Then beat the two eggs together, place the aubergine slices into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture ensuring a full covering.
•Fry in olive oil until golden brown, then place the slices into a lasagne baking dish and pour over the passata sauce.
•Scatter over a few basil leaves, place a couple of slices of mozzarella cheese and a light sprinkling of Reggiano cheese over the top.
•Cover the dish in foil and bake in the oven at medium temperature for 20 minutes. Take the foil off and let it brown for a further 10 minutes.

This dish goes perfectly with Roast lamb or simply as a vegetarian dish with a green salad.