I am becoming an accidental vegetarian. While I cannot see myself giving up steak or bacon completely, there are so many meatless meals to be discovered. For me, a successful vegetarian dish is when I eat something that is so delicious that I don’t notice the absence of meat. My beloved doesn’t believe a meal is complete without some form of animal on the plate, so finding meatless meals that satisfy a carnivorous household is a challenge.
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| Sweetcorn and Feta Pies - accidentally vegetarian! |
With the garden in full production at the moment, there are herbs aplenty and a forest of salad leaves, helping me to meet the meatless task half-way. Fresh mint and flat-leaved parsley are the flavours that lift these pies out of the ordinary.
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| Make sure there's enough mint left for the cook's Mojito! |
Delicious hot or cold, they are a great way of sneaking vegetables past the kids, or making a chic, recession-proof office lunch. Easy to make and easy to eat, preparation time is about 5 minutes, cooking time about 25 minutes, eating time about 30 seconds flat!
For 4 pies you will need...
... to pre-heat the oven to 190°C
2 sheets of all butter ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
100g tinned sweetcorn kernels
100g feta cheese, roughly mashed
50g fresh spinach, washed, dried and finely shredded
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 Cut each pastry sheet in half then trim to a square of approximately 14cm (use the trimmings to cut out fancy shapes to decorate if you like – kids love this bit.)
2 Mix together the rest of the ingredients, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg.
3 Divide the mixture between the four squares making a sausage shape in the centre of each and leaving a margin of about 1cm at each end of the sausage shape. Brush the edges with a little cold water. Fold the narrow ends in, then fold the wider edges over the top of the mixture to make a neat parcel.
4 Place each pastry parcel on a non-stick baking sheet, so that the join is underneath. Brush with beaten egg to give the pies a lovely glaze. If decorating with pastry shapes, pop these on top now and brush with egg.
5 Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown and serve hot or cold, with or without salad.
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| I ♥ herbs! |
Tip: Make tiny versions as canapés and serve with a minty Mojito.
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