Baklava (Vegan) - Suma Blogger's Network

For this month's Suma Blogger's Network post, I thought I'd make something sweet. As we're off to Greece for our holidays soon, I decided to make some baklava.

Baklava is a very indulgent Greek and Middle-Eastern treat, which usually contains copious quantities of butter and honey, but I've found that it's simple to veganise without losing any flavour.

• 150g/6oz almonds
• 150g/6oz walnuts
• 150g/6oz hazelnuts or cashews 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pack filo pastry
• 75g/3oz dairy-free spread/butter

For the syrup

• 2 cups Fairtrade golden caster sugar from Suma
• 4 tbsp agave, date or Fairtrade golden syrup from Suma
• juice of 1 lemon, plus a little lemon zest
• 1 large stick of cinnamon, broken in half
• 1½ cups boiled water

Roughly grind all of the nuts in a food processor and mix in the ground cinnamon.

Grease a baking tin with some of the melted butter.
Line the tin with a sheet of filo, letting it drape over the sides of the tin. Baste with more butter and repeat several times until you have used half of the pastry.

Tip in half of the nuts and spread out over the pastry. 
Fold a couple more sheets of pastry and place them over the layer of nuts so they fit snugly in the tin. Baste with more butter.

Cover with the remaining half of the nuts.
Layer the remaining sheets of pastry over, basting with butter each time.
Finally fold the over-lapping sheets in to fully enclose the nuts.
Baste the top with the remaining butter.

Cut the 'pie' into small squares or diamonds, using a sharp knife, cutting through all of the layers carefully.
Bake in a pre-heated oven  at 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4 for approximately 45 mins, or until the surface is crisp and golden brown.

Meanwhile make the syrup.
Mix all the syrup ingredients together in a pan and allow the sugar to dissolve on a low heat, stirring occasionally.
Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool.

When the baklava is cooked, remove from the oven and poor the cool syrup all over the hot baklava.
Allow to cool in the tin at room temperature. Leave to soak in the syrup for several hours, before serving.

Integrity Statement As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network.   

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Rustic Christmas Pies with Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Goat's Cheese - Suma Blogger's Network

These rustic, savoury pies are my vegetarian Christmas Dinner offering this year, and also my last post of the year for the Suma Blogger's Network. Unlike quiches, these individual pies don't involve a custard to hold the roasted vegetables together, and there's no need for pastry cutters or flan dishes to make them look pretty.

They can, of course, be made in advance*, leaving you plenty of time on Christmas Day to prepare all of the other traditional Yuletide trimmings.  I cheated slightly by using time-saving ready-prepared squash, sweet potato and pastry, which bumps the cost up, but you could prepare your own if you are on a budget. Although this recipe serves four, it can easily be adapted to serve one or two, by reducing the ingredients accordingly.

Serves 4

• 500g/1 lb, 2oz (prepared weight) butternut squash and sweet potato, diced into approx.1-2 cm cubes
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 mild, red chilli, de-seeded and sliced finely (optional)
• 1 sprig fresh sage, chopped, plus 4 leaves to top the pies
• 100g/4oz chopped Suma walnuts
• 50g/2oz dried Suma cranberries
• 100g/4oz English goat's cheese, sliced into 4 slices
• 300g/12oz ready made shortcrust pastry**
• 1 egg, beaten, to glaze (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/Gas 3/325F
Drizzle the oil over the chopped squash and sweet potato and roast for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, turn and add the diced onion, chopped sage and chilli.
Cook for a further 15 minutes. 
Check if the vegetables are tender and starting to brown. If not, return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, mix in the chopped walnuts and cranberries and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 200C/190C Fan/Gas 6/400F
Once the roasted vegetables are cool, divide the pastry into 4 and roll out thinly on a floured board to roughly 18cm/7" circles.
Place ¼ of the vegetable mixture into the centre of each circle.
Top with a slice of cheese and a sage leaf.
Fold the edges of the pastry in, to form an open pie.
Brush with beaten egg to glaze (optional), or wrap in grease proof paper and chill until needed.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with all the usual Christmas trimmings.
*Can be made in advance and chilled or frozen until needed.
**Swap the shortcrust pastry for puff pastry if you prefer it.

Vegan option: Check that your pastry is vegan...most UK brands are. Omit the cheese, or swap for extra chopped nuts, pine nuts, or your preferred cheese substitute.

Integrity Statement
As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network. 

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Puff Pastry Empanadas with Black Beans

These quick and easy veggie empanadas make an idea starter or tapas dish. They would also work well in kids' lunch-boxes, as an alternative to sandwiches.
Obviously you can make your own pastry if you have time, or use shortcrust pasty if you prefer.

Makes 18-20 small empanadas

• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 large, or 2 small bell peppers, diced 
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 fresh chilli, de-seeded and finely diced, optional
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp smoked or plain paprika
• 1 tin black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander
• 100g/4oz Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, diced
• 500g/1lb pack of ready made puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Gently fry the onion, garlic and bell pepper in a little oil, until soft. Add the herbs and spices, and cook for a further minute. Set to one side to cool.
When cool, stir in the chunks of cheese.

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7/425°F

Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible, on a lightly floured board.
Using a large cutter (10-12.5cm/4-5") or small plate/bowl and a sharp knife, cut as many circles from the pastry as you can. Re-roll any scraps of pastry and repeat.

Brush the perimeter of each circle with beaten egg.
Spoon 2 tsp of the filling into the middle of each piece.
Fold the pastry carefully over the filling, to make a semi-circle.
Press firmly to seal, then crimp with a fork, or by folding the edge over in the traditional way (YouTube tutorial here!).
Brush each mini-pasty with beaten egg to glaze.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and turned golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire tray.
Eat warm or cold with your favourite dips.

Suitable for freezing. Defrost before re-heating.

Vegan version
Most brands of puff pastry are vegan, so this recipe is easy to veganise. Swap the dairy cheese for your preferred alternative, or omit and add some extra beans or vegetables. Seal the empanadas with a little water and brush lightly with olive oil to glaze.

Top tip: If you don't have time to make empanadas, use the same filling for quesadillas - just pop 2-3 tbsp of the beany mixture onto a tortilla, fold in half and pop in a sandwich press or hot pan for a few minutes to warm through and melt the cheese.

Although I haven't attempted to make my own puff pastry, I'm linking this post to Lisa and Jen's Pastry Challenge, hosted this month at United Cakedom.

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Asparagus & Goat's Cheese Quiche: Yapp’s Drinks On Us Challenge

I'm not usually one to take up bloggers' challenges, but as this one involved wine, it was hard to resist! Yapp Brothers (the wine merchants) were kind enough to send out a bottle of wine and an individually tailored handwritten note to some of their favourite food bloggers in order for us to blog a suitable recipe which would pair well with our carefully-selected wine.

My chosen wine was an organically-produced Bergerac Sec: Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure 2014, which is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes and described as being "Very pale and clear with appealing spring blossom scents and a zesty, citrus-edged palate with a whistle-clean finish."

I did a bit of research to see what sort of flavours and ingredients would go with this wine. Amongst the vegetarian ingredients I found listed were: asparagus, young goat's cheeses, salads and herbs, so an idea hatched to make a cheesy quiche and serve it with sautéed new potatoes and a salad for a delicious, summer meal. 

So, was this a good wine pairing? I found that the acidity and citrus flavours of the wine, stood up well to the rich, cheesy taste of quiche, cutting through the creaminess after each mouthful. 

• 1 pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry (or make your own if you have the time!)
• 1 bunch of asparagus (approx 250g/8oz before trimming), trimmed and cut into 5-6cm pieces
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 180ml/6 fl oz double cream
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 125g/5oz soft goat's cheese, chopped into small chunks
• 25g/1oz hard/mature goat's cheese or vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, grated 
• 1 tbsp chopped basil
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• grated nutmeg and black pepper to season  

Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/180 C Fan/ Gas 5/375 F
Grease a 9-10"/25cm loose-bottom flan, or sandwich cake tin. 

Roll out the pastry to around 0.5cm thick, so that it's about 3cm larger than the circumference of your tin. Cut out a large circle, using the base of the tin as a guide, with a sharp knife.
Line the tin with the pastry, pressing down gently to fit the bottom and sides of the tin. Trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife.
Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork and bake blind (using baking beans or dried beans) for 12-15 minutes or until it's just starting to colour. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 170 C/160 C Fan/ Gas 3/325 F

Empty the baking beans out gently.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onions in a drop of vegetable oil, until softened. 
Add the asparagus to the pan and place on a low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until tender, with the lid on - the moisture will steam the asparagus. Remove from the heat and take the pan lid off to let any excess moisture evaporate.

Mix the eggs and cream together and stir in the cheeses, herbs and seasoning.
Scatter the cooked asparagus and onions over the base of the flan case.
Pour the custard mixture over, ensuring that the vegetables are covered.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set in the centre and turned golden brown.

Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes before removing.
Serve with sautéed or boiled new potatoes and a herby salad.

Integrity Statement
I received a complimentary bottle of wine for recipe development. All views expressed are my own.

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Dutch Apple Tart (Appeltaart)

I first tried appeltaart in Holland earlier this year and loved it. It's not traditionally served at Christmas, but I think it makes a good alternative to either Christmas pudding or mince pies.

Although I'm not very good at making pastry, this sweet pastry is quite forgiving, as you can just smooth over any holes or bumps, and you don't need to bake it blind. I've tried out two different versions; one with the traditional butter and egg enriched pastry and one with a vegan pastry. Both turned out well, so use which ever recipe you prefer.

Serves 8

Enriched pastry

• 200g/8oz sr flour
• 100g/4oz chilled block butter
• 100g/4oz sugar
• 1 medium egg
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Vegan pastry

• 200g/8oz SR flour
• 100g/4oz chilled vegan/dairy-free spread/butter
• 100g/4oz sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Filling

• 1 kg/2 lbs cooking apples (unpeeled weight)
• 50g/2oz soft brown sugar
• 75g/3oz raisins/sultanas/mixed dried fruits
• ½ tsp each cinnamon and mixed spice
• 2 tbsp custard powder

Make the pastry by rubbing the dairy-free spread or butter into the flour. Add the sugar and cinnamon and either an egg or a splash of dairy-free milk or water to bind. This should make a soft, but not sticky dough, so add a touch more flour if the mixture is sticky.

Chill pastry for 30-60 minutes.

Grease a loose-bottomed round 7"/18cm cake tin.
On a well-floured board, roll out the pastry to around ½ cm thick.
Cut out a circle of pastry to fit the base (use the base of the tin as a template).
Put the circle of pastry into the bottom of the tin.

Re-roll the pastry and cut 3"/7.5 cm wide strips to fit around the sides of the tin; I did this in 2 sections. Join the pastry sides to the base, by gently smoothing them together with your hands, so that no gaps can be seen. Save any scraps for later.

Peel, quarter and slice the apples, fairly thinly.
Mix the apples, dried fruit, sugar, spices and custard powder together in a large bowl.
Tip as much of the fruit as possible into the (raw) pastry case - you should have a slight dome of fruit in the centre as it will sink a little after cooking. Press down lightly.

With any scraps of pastry, roll thin strips and criss-cross these across the top of the tart. 

Bake at 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375 f for 50 mins-1 hour, until the apples are browning and the pastry looks quite a dark golden-brown.
Sprinkle with an extra 1 tsp sugar when it comes out of the oven.
Allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before removing. Serve warm or cold. 

Suitable for freezing.

Christmas/luxury version: 
Soak the dried fruits (or a mixture of luxury dried fruits and flaked almonds) in 2 tbsp brandy for at least 2 hours. Add 4 tbsp of custard powder to the apple mixture, to soak up the extra juices. 

Cut out holly leaves from the pastry scraps and lay these on top of the apple. 
Bake as above.

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Chestnut and Vegetable Lattice Bakes

This is my latest Christmas Dinner recipe, for those who want something a little different from a nut roast but don't want to resort to meat substitutes. I made two different versions of these individual lattice bakes; one to my taste and one for the rest of the family. I love the combination of sweet vegetables and fruits together, so mine contained mushrooms, sweet potato and cranberries. The others hate that sort of combo, so I cooked theirs with mushrooms, white potato, celery and no cranberries!

If you don't want to make these lattices which have quite a chunky filling, you can blend the mixture to fill sausage rolls or to make a nut roast.
If you haven't cooked with chestnuts before, it's worth trying them out. On their own they have quite a strange, slightly sweet taste, but they add a great depth of flavour and texture to vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Makes 4 individual bakes or around 20 small sausage rolls.

• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 100g/4oz cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped. I used Merchant Gourmet vacuum packed chestnuts.
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, chopped
• 50g/2oz walnuts, roughly chopped
• 50g/2oz macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato (swap for 2 medium parsnips, 1 large, white baking potato or a mixture of chopped root vegetables), peeled and diced into 1cm chunks- approx 200g/8oz peeled weight
• 25-50g dried cranberries, optional (for the more savoury version, use 2 sticks of chopped celery, or just omit the cranberries)
• 1-2 tsp dried sage or 2-4 tsp chopped fresh sage, to taste
• nutmeg and black pepper to season
• 1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry

Heat the oven to 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375F.
Drizzle your chosen root vegetable/s in olive oil and roast for around 30 minutes until golden brown and soft, turning once or twice.
Meanwhile, heat a drop of olive oil in a large pan and soften the onions. Add the mushrooms and celery (if using). Cook down to evaporate most of the moisture.
Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients (except the pastry!).
Season and add sage to taste.
Remove the root vegetable/s from the oven and crush/mash lightly, so that you still have recognisable lumps of vegetable. Turn the oven up to 210C/200C Fan/Gas 6/400F
Mix all ingredients together.

*At this point you can decide whether to blend the ingredients, to make a nut roast or sausage roll mixture.

If making the lattices, cut the pastry into 4 equal pieces.
Cut 8 lines into the outer thirds of the pastry (see photo).
Spoon a good 2-3 tbsp of mixture along the middle of each piece of pastry, and press down to form an oval mound.
Dampen the edges of the pastry and cross over the first 4 strips from each side alternately. Repeat from the other end of the lattice, so that you end up crossing the last strips over in the centre.
Brush with oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

*Alternative cooking instructions: If making sausage rolls, reduce the cooking time to 20-25 mins.
If making a nut roast, blend the mixture, tip into a greased and lined loaf tin and press down.

Cover tin with foil (uncover for the last 10 minutes).

Bake for 40-50 mins at 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out and slicing. 

Freezing: If you want to make any of these in advance and freeze them. Slightly under cook and allow to cool. Wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost completely before re-heating. 

For more Christmas recipes, including exclusive step-by-step videos from Alex Mackay, and details of the full product range visit merchant-gourmet.com

Integrity Statement

I received some complimentary Merchant Gourmet products for recipe development. All views expressed are genuine. 

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Mini Halloumi Tarts

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Here's my next Christmas canapé recipe. These little halloumi tarts can be baked in advance and frozen until needed. Defrost for a couple of hours then warm up before eating...et voilà!

Makes approx 24 mini tarts.

• 8oz/200g halloumi cheese grated
• 4 fl oz/100ml Greek yogurt
• 1 medium egg
• ½ tsp dried oregano plus 1 tsp chopped, fresh dill 
• 10oz/250g (½ pack) ready-made shortcrust pastry

Preheat the oven to 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375F.
Mix the grated halloumi with the yogurt, egg and herbs.

Roll out the pastry on a floured board, to around the thickness of a one pound coin (about 3-4 mm or a 16th of an inch).

Lightly grease a 24 hole mini muffin pan.
Cut out 24x3.5"/9 cm circles...you may need to re-roll the pastry scraps for the final few!
Pop the pastry circles into the pan and press down (I used the end of my rolling pin for this, but you can buy this nifty little gadget from Amazon which is purpose made for the job!)
Generously fill each pastry case with the cheese mixture. 
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the pan. Serve straight away or cool and freeze until needed.

Top tip: Grate the halloumi with a food processor or use a hand grater and chop up any bits that don't make it through the grater!

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Mini Courgette and Potato Quiches

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I'm in the midst of baking canapés for Christmas, so I thought I'd share a couple of recipes with you. These little vegetarian quiches can be baked in advance and frozen until needed. Defrost for a couple of hours then warm up before eating...simples!

Makes approx 24 mini quiches.

• 4oz/100g potato, peeled and grated
• 4oz/100g courgette (zucchini), grated
• 1 medium onion, diced finely
• 4 fl oz/100ml double cream
• 1 medium egg
• 2oz/50g vegetarian Parmesan cheese or mature cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp chopped. fresh basil or parsley
• black pepper and nutmeg to season 
• 10oz/250g (½ pack) ready-made shortcrust pastry

Preheat the oven to 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375F.
Heat a drop of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions for a few minutes until softened.

Add the grated vegetables, herbs and seasonings and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Beat the egg and cream together in a jug.

Stir the grated cheese into the cooked vegetables.

Roll out the pastry on a floured board, to around the thickness of a one pound coin (about 3-4 mm or a 16th of an inch).

Lightly grease a 24 hole mini muffin pan.
Cut out 24x3.5"/9 cm circles...you may need to re-roll the pastry scraps for the final few!
Pop the pastry circles into the pan and press down (I used the end of my rolling pin for this, but you can buy this nifty little gadget from Amazon which is purpose made for the job!)

Add a teaspoonful of the vegetable mixture to each pastry case and top up with the egg and cream mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the pan. Serve straight away or cool and freeze until needed.

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Savoury Puff Pastry Tartlets

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I'm testing out a few Christmas buffet and canapé recipes at the moment. These little bite-sized tartlets can be filled with your choice of vegetarian or vegan fillings. I have added a few suggestions below, but you can use pretty much anything you fancy.

• 1 block of ready-made puff pastry
• Your choice of fillings

Grease a tartlet/mini muffin/bun tin and preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/425F/Gas7.

Roll out the puff pastry until it is fairly thin. Using a cutter just bigger than the top of your tartlet or bun tin (holes wells indents...what do you call them?), cut out circles of the pastry, as close together as possible, so that you don't waste too much pastry. 
Pop the pastry circles into your tin and press down in the centre to make space for the fillings.
Fill and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown. Only add a little filling to each tartlet as the pastry will rise quite a lot. 
When cooked, remove from the tin and serve hot or warm.

I filled mine with 3 different combinations:

• Greek (pictured left) - chopped olives, roasted red pepper and sundried tomatoes. Top with a little feta cheese and a sprinkle of dried oregano.
• Roasted piri piri vegetables (pictured centre - vegan) - finely chop some bell pepper, courgette, mushroom and onion and fry in a drop of olive oil for around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tbsp piri piri sauce. 
• Roasted squash and goat's cheese (pictured right) - cube the squash and roast with some ground fennel seeds for about 15 minutes. Top with a little goat's cheese.

Suitable for freezing

If you wish to make these in advance, slightly under-cook them (so the pastry is firm but still pale). Cool and freeze. Defrost and reheat at 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas4 for around 5 minutes.

Other ideas include: chopped tomato, basil & mozzarella, blue cheese & mushroom, roasted vegetables & pesto, garlic mushrooms, refried beans and salsa etc. Just remember to cook raw vegetables lightly first, to remove some of their juices, otherwise your tartlets will have soggy bottoms!

If you want to make mini quiches or add sweet fillings (including chutneys), use shortcrust pastry instead, as puff pastry will not hold these fillings well. 

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Spinach, Red Pepper and Goat's Cheese Quiche

The name of this recipe has given me a headache, as I'm a bit of a stickler for apostrophes being in the right place. Should I use goat's cheese, goats' cheese or just plain old goats cheese in this quiche? I came to the conclusion that goats' cheese was correct, as the milk making the cheese must come from more than one goat, however after googling and reading this amusing article, I've gone for goat's cheese. Please do leave me a comment, if you object to this and think I should have gone for goats' cheese after all!

Easy Pastry

• 200g/8oz plain flour
• 100g/4oz cold block butter, cut into cubes
• cold water 

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs (or blitz in the food processor for a few seconds. Add just enough cold water to bring the mixture together into quite a firm dough (I used 4 tbsp).

Wrap in cling-film and chill for at least an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/180 C Fan/ Gas 5/375 F

Roll out the pastry on a floured board and line a greased 20cm/8" sandwich cake tin or flan tin.

Bake blind for 12-15 minutes or until it's just starting to colour.

Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 170 C/160 C Fan/ Gas 3/325 F

Filling

• 1 red onion, cut in half and sliced finely
• 1 large red bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced finely
• 75g/3oz washed baby spinach
• 75g/3oz soft or hard goat's cheese (chopped or grated)
• 150ml/5 fl oz double cream
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp ground fennel seeds
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add the fennel seeds, black pepper, onion and red pepper and saute until the vegetables are soft and just starting to colour. Then add the spinach leaves and chopped dill and allow to wilt for a minute or two. Remove from the heat.

Mix the eggs, cream and cheese together.

Spoon the vegetables into the pastry case.

Pour the egg mixture over.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is golden brown and set firmly.

Serve hot, warm or cold with sautéed new potatoes and salad.

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: You could use almost any combination of vegetables in this quiche.

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