Broad Bean, Spinach and Pea Tartlets.

Broad Bean, Spinach and Pea Tartlets

I've just been emailed this recipe.

These lovely, flavoursome tartlets make a good show-off main course or small starter. You can make them with an assortment of spring vegetables swap the spinach for chard or the broad beans for asparagus, depending on what you can find. If you’re devising a vegetarian menu, serve these as a main course with steamed new potatoes.

Ingredients

250g (half a pkt) chilled puff pastry (I never make my own... Life is too short)
1tbsp olive oil
1 bunch spring onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
300g fresh peas, podded
250g spinach leaves, washed and shredded, with any thick stems removed
300g broad beans, shelled
50ml single cream
2 eggs, beaten
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to season

How to make.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Roll out the puff pastry, on a floured board, and divide it into four squares. Using the tip of a knife, draw a frame on each square, then lift onto a cool baking sheet, and set aside.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, and blanch the peas and beans for 3 minutes. Tip them into a colander and return the saucepan to a medium heat. Put in the olive oil, onion and garlic. Keep it on a low heat until the onions are soft and translucent (not brown). Tip in the peas, broad beans, and spinach, and stir until the spinach wilts. Turn up the heat a little to drive off the excess moisture from the spinach.

Now season generously with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, take the pan off the heat, and stir in the eggs and cream. Spoon the filling onto the centre of each pastry square, avoiding the scored edges. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the egg in the middle is set. Cool for a few minutes before serving as the filling will be hot...ENJOY