Mushroom and baby spinach tarts

This one is a real cracker, especially for a flawless first impression with your guests! Serve it as a starter, and see the impressed look on the faces of your worst food critics. Nobody is going to forget this welcome surprise; and I speak with experience when I say that.

If you can’t find white wine to work this recipe, don’t bother making it. The wine lifts and enhances the flavour of the dish to a different level; and I highly recommend that it is not omitted or replaced with something else.

So what’s important here is the making/baking of the actual tart shell. This requires a bit of hard work; read my blog on ‘The perfect puff pastry' and master this skill! I would advice you to practice puff pastry-making at least once before your final day; as there are a couple of ‘moments of truth’ involved in making them. Be sure to get your puff pastry right for a good crispy tart shell.

The rest of the dish is relatively simple for any home cook. It’s a fun starter for any party, so chuck that tandoori paneer out of the window, and think out of the box.




Serves: 6
Prep time: 60min (to bake the tart shells, can be done a day in advance)
Cooking time: 25min (includes oven time of 5-10min)
Baking tools: Baking sheet, ovenproof tart moulds/shells

Ingredients
200g fresh baby spinach leaves, washed and drained
100g mushrooms, chopped fine
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp butter
1tsp olive oil
Red chilli flakes
Grated processed cheese, 1 cube
Salt to taste
White wine
Ground black pepper
Fresh rosemary, 1 sprig
Parmesan cheese
Black olives, pitted and sliced for garnish
Pre-baked tart shells

Method
Blanch the spinach leaves in hot water for 2-3min without a lid. Pull out the spinach leaves with tongs and shock treat by placing them in an ice cold water bath (helps retain the green colour). Remove and chop finely. Keep aside.

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Heat olive oil and butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add the chopped garlic, red chilli flakes and some fresh rosemary to the pan. Allow the garlic to brown sufficiently. Now add the chopped mushroom along with a pinch of salt; stir till the mushrooms are soft and release all their moisture. Add ground black pepper, and some more salt if necessary.

Turn the heat down to medium low, and add 3-4tbsp of white wine (be generous). Let simmer on a low flame till the wine is absorbed. Now add the chopped spinach, grated processed cheese, and some more rosemary. Stir till all the elements are well-combined and the mixture gains a thick consistency. The mixture will thicken on cooling.

Spoon the mixture into the pre-baked tart shells (let the shells remain in the ovenproof tart moulds). Garnish with some grated parmesan and a couple of sliced black olives. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 5-10min.

Remove the tarts from their moulds, serve hot.

Bench notes
You can keep your pre-baked tart shells ready a day in advance. They easily keep in a refrigerator for 24-48hr in a closed air tight box. However, keep them as they are in their tart moulds, so they don’t break or crumble.