Pastry roll with ricotta and spinach

Ingredients

•     puff pastry – 12 oz  see below for homemade

•     spinach – 4 ½ oz

•     ricotta –  3 ½ oz

•     grated Parmesan cheese – 2 tbsp

•     egg white – 1

•     onion – 1

•     olive oil – 2 tbsp

•     salt and pepper

 

Instructions

1. Make the filling by chopping the onion finely and stir frying it in a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Add the ricotta and the Parmesan cheese and mix well.

2. Sprinkle some flour on your worktop to prevent the pastry from sticking to the surface. Divide the pastry into 4 and make 4 balls of equal size. With a rolling pin roll the dough and make an oval shape like a large egg; then make some cuts on the edges, it should look like a tree.

3. Place the filling in the middle of the pastry. Seal the roll by folding each pastry stripe on top of each other and seal the roll at the end, it will look like a plait. Place the rolls on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush them with beaten egg white.

4. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

 

Puff pastry

Ingredients

Makes approximately 24 ounces

•     2 cups all-purpose flour

•     1 teaspoon salt

•     1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks), cold

•     1/2 cup cold water

Instructions

1.     Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

2.     Cut the cold butter into 1/4-inch slices and add to the flour mixture, tossing to coat.

3.     Stir in the cold water until a thick dough forms.

4.     Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk-shape, and wrap in plastic wrap.

5.     Chill for 1 hour in the fridge, or 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer.

6.     Unwrap the dough, dust the work surface with flour, and roll the dough into a rough rectangle shape.

7.     Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter.

8.     Turn 90 degrees, roll and fold again.

9.     Repeat about 2 to 4 times, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

10. Dough can also be frozen. It will keep for several weeks in the freezer, tightly wrapped. Thaw in the refrigerator.