Spinach and Ricotta Rolls

FILLING

1.        Place spinach in a bowl, the bowl can heaped. When you add the boiling water the spinach will wilt straight away.

1.1   Wilt spinach by pouring hot water over and turning over to ensure fully wilted

1.2   Transfer within one minute to a bowl of cold water

1.3   Transfer within one minute to a clean tea towel or cheese cloth bag

1.4   Wring out as much water as you can, this will ensure your puff pastry is able to crisp. if there is moisture left in the mixture it will pool at the base of the pastry roll.

1.5   Tip spinach out to a dry tea towel or paper towel to further dry

2.        Measure ricotta cheese and break apart the cheese by rubbing through your fingers

3.        Finely dice fennel, shallots and garlic and place in the bowl with ricotta

4.        Grate parmesan cheese using a fine tooth grater and add to ricotta

5.        Now the spinach has lost a little more water roughly chop and when adding to the ricotta bowl loosening the spinach as you add.

5.1   Mix the contents of the bowl ensuring the ricotta and spinach of evenly distributed

6.        Grate the zest of one lemon and squeeze in ½ of the lemon, resist adding may more as you don't want to moisten the mixture too much.

7.        Add one egg and fold together

ASSEMBLY

1.        Lay out one pastry sheet and spoon on a line of the filling a few centimetres in from the edge of the sheet. There may be a little pastry left over once rolled, you are able to create a little parcel which is a little larger and great for dinner.

2.        Fold the edge of the pastry covering the mixture and pat down to ensure the filling is packed tight

3.        Egg wash the top of the pastry then roll the log to meet the pastry under the log and pull back against the filling so the roll in tight

4.        Place on a sheet of baking paper and keep in the fridge while you continue rolling more logs. (This will make it easier to cut)

COOKING

1.        Preheat oven to 200°c 390°f

2.        Cut the rolls to the desired size or cook the full roll

2.1   Egg wash the top of the rolls and sprinkle with sesame or/ and nigella seeds

2.2   Place on a baking sheet and in the oven for 30 minutes and golden brown

3.        Turn the rolls over to brown the bottom

​

OPTIONAL COOKING METHOD

1.        Melt butter and oil in a fry pan, when simmering recuse heat to medium

2.        Place in cut rolls and brown the bottom

3.        Transfer to a wire rack over a baking tray and place in the oven

This will seal the bottom of the roll and make for a crispier pastry.