Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
Use store-bought pastry for this dish, or make your own from scratch. Next on my list: Gran’s traditional Cornish pasty tarts; a gorgeous Root Wellington; and caramelised onion and apple chutney.
Recipes excerpted with permission from All Day Baking by Michael James and Pippa James published by Hardie Grant, September 2021
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GREENS, FETA AND RICOTTA HAND PIES
MAKES 6
These wonderful parcels of healthy greens wrapped in golden puff pastry are based on the famous Greek dish spanakopita, a filo pastry pie filled with spinach, feta and ricotta. You can make these pies with any greens you like – kale, spinach or silverbeet all work well. I like to use Warrigal greens, an Australian native spinach, but I will happily use any dark leafy green that is available at the time.
1 quantity Puff pastry (see below)
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mixed dark leafy greens
20 g (3⁄4 oz/1 tablespoon) olive oil
4 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium eggs
200 g (7 oz) sheep’s milk feta
200 g (7 oz) full-fat ricotta
50 g (13⁄4 oz) toasted pine nuts
10 g (1/3 oz) chopped dill
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1⁄2 teaspoons fine salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Egg wash
Put the pastry on a lightly floured kitchen bench and roll it out into a rectangle roughly measuring 38 cm × 56 cm (15 × 22 in) and 4 mm (1⁄8 in) thick. Cut out six 18 cm (7 in) discs. Lay the pastry discs between two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble.
Wash the leafy greens and drain well. If using a variety of greens, divide them into groups and plan to cook each type separately; for example, English spinach will cook more quickly than say kale or rainbow chard leaves. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the greens, in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook until just wilted (don’t overcook them – they will cook further in the oven). As each batch is cooked, transfer it to a colander over the sink. Lightly squeeze out any excess water to prevent the pastry from becoming soggy during the bake.
Once cool, roughly chop the greens and put them in a large bowl. Add the spring onion, garlic, eggs, feta, ricotta, pine nuts, dill, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Use your hands or a spoon to thoroughly mix everything together.
Lay the pastry discs on a floured bench and lightly roll each one into an oval shape. Divide the filling between the pastry ovals, placing it on the top half of the oval, leaving a 2 cm (3⁄4 in) border around the top edge. Push down on the greens to create a compact dome shape. Lightly brush the pastry border at the top with egg wash, then fold the bottom half of the pastry over the filling so that it meets the pastry on the other side. Push out any air pockets and press the edges of the pastry together to seal the pies. Lightly brush the tops with egg wash, then use a blunt knife to score a leaf-shaped pattern over the top. Be careful not to cut through the pastry. Put in the fridge until you are ready to bake, or freeze them and bake when required.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line two baking trays with baking paper. Put the pies on the lined trays and bake for 15 minutes, then turn and swap the trays. Bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and flaky. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
PUFF PASTRY
MAKES 830 G (1 LB 13 OZ)
Puff pastry can look spectacular and has many uses. Making it is not as difficult as you might think. In particular, the perception that it’s time- consuming can be off-putting; it does take time, but it’s short bursts of work punctuated by long rests. I recommend breaking down the process into small chunks: prepare the dough and butter block two days before you want to bake, laminate the butter into the dough the next day, then let it rest overnight in the fridge before using.
This recipe is tried and tested and gives excellent results. It is set up so that you can use a standard 250 g (9 oz) block of butter. It may make more pastry than you need, but if you are going to invest the time to make it, you’ll be thankful that you’ve got some ready to go for next time and, once made, it freezes really well.
Take note of the weather and observe how the butter is performing. If it’s too soft, it might need more time in the fridge between folds; if it’s too hard, it will crack. The vinegar helps to prevent discolouration and also helps with the gluten cross-linking.
70 g (2 1⁄2 oz) unsalted butter, chilled
150 g (5 1⁄2 oz) chilled water
10 g (1⁄3 oz/2 teaspoons) white vinegar
340 g (12 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
10 g (1⁄3 oz) fine salt
FOR LAMINATING
250 g (9 oz) block unsalted butter, at room temperature
WHOLEMEAL VARIATION
70 g (2 1⁄2 oz) unsalted butter, chilled
180 g (6 1⁄2 oz) chilled water
10 g (1⁄3 oz/2 teaspoons) white vinegar
170 g (6 oz) wholemeal (whole- wheat) flour
170 g (6 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
10 g (1⁄3 oz) fine salt
WHOLE RYE VARIATION
70 g (2 1⁄2 oz) unsalted butter, chilled
180 g (6 1⁄2 oz) chilled water
10 g (1⁄3 oz/2 teaspoons) white vinegar
135 g (5 oz) rye flour or wholegrain rye flour
205 g (7 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
10 g (1⁄3 oz) fine salt
DAY 1
Take the 70 g (2 1⁄2 oz) butter out of the fridge, cut it into 1 cm (1⁄2 in) cubes and leave to soften slightly for 10 minutes before you start – you want it to be cold but pliable.
Combine the water and vinegar in a jug. Put the flour, salt and butter cubes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to break the butter into the flour until you have shards of butter the size of rolled oats still visible. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the vinegar mixture and mix until the dough just comes together. You don’t want any dry pieces, but you need to be careful not to overwork the dough.
Flatten the dough into a rectangle about 1 cm (1⁄2 in) thick. Wrap the dough and rest it in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight.
Meanwhile, prepare the butter for laminating. Place the butter block between two sheets of baking paper and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle roughly measuring 18 × 20 cm (7 × 8 in). Put the butter in the fridge, between the sheets of baking paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
DAY 2
Remove the dough and rolled-out butter from the fridge about 30 minutes before you laminate the pastry. You want the butter to be malleable but not too soft.
Lightly dust your kitchen bench with flour. Lay the dough rectangle on the bench with one short side parallel with the edge of the bench. Roll the dough away from you to form a rectangle measuring 20 × 40 cm (8 × 153⁄4 in), still with the short side closest to you. Place the butter block in the middle of the dough, with the 20 cm (8 in) side of the butter parallel with the bench. Fold both free short sides of the dough over the top of the butter so they meet in the middle, encasing the butter. Lightly pinch the ends together to seal (the seam should run parallel with the bench).
Rotate the dough block 90 degrees so the seam is now perpendicular to the bench. Using your rolling pin, gently press or stamp along the length of the dough to make it more malleable (you can do this at any stage in the process to make the dough easier to work with). Next, roll the dough away from you to form a 20 × 40 cm (8 × 15 3⁄4 in) rectangle, again with one short side parallel with the bench. Starting from the side closest to you, fold the bottom third of the dough into the middle, then the top third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Put your dough on the bench with the open seam on your right-hand side and perpendicular to the edge of the bench. Roll the dough away from you to form a 20 × 40 cm (8 × 15 3⁄4 in) rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the dough into the middle, then the top third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Repeat this step until you have completed four single (or letter) folds in total. Refrigerate your pastry for 1 hour after every two folds to keep the butter from getting too soft (refrigerate for 30 minutes after every fold if it’s a warm day). If you have kept the pastry in the fridge for more than 1 hour, allow to stand for 10–15 minutes before continuing (reduce this time in hot weather).
Once all four folds are done, wrap your pastry and rest it in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight, before you use it. Chilling the pastry before using it prevents it from shrinking. Roll it out to whatever thickness you need. The pastry will keep for 3–4 days in the fridge, or up to 1 month in the freezer.
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