Spinach & Ricotta Triangles

6 sheets filo pastry

Filling-
250g packet frozen spinach, thawed
150g reduced-fat ricotta cheese
¼ cup finely-grated parmesan cheese
4 green onions, finely sliced
Olive oil
3 tsp sesame seeds

Yoghurt sauce -
200g low-fat plain yoghurt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, crushed

Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Squeeze moisture from spinach. Place in a bowl. Add ricotta, parmesan and green onions. Mix well, and season with salt & pepper.

Place 1 sheet of filo on workbench. Cut into 4 long strips. Keep remaining pastry sheets covered with a damp tea towel so they don't dry out.

Brush pastry lightly with oil. Place 1 tablespoon of spinach mixture in 1 corner of pastry. Fold diagonally to form a triangle. Continue folding, taking care to retain triangular shape. Place on baking tray. Repeat with the remaining pastry and spinach mixture.

Brush triangle tops with oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.

To make yoghurt sauce, combine yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm spinach triangles with yoghurt sauce.


Roasted Vegetable & Cheese Pasties

Pastry -
500g plain flour
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
250ml cold water

Filling -
3 x 2cm slices of Jap pumpkin – cut into 1cm pieces
2 carrots – cut into 1cm pieces
2 large potatoes – peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
½ celeriac – peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
70ml olive oil
Sea salt & black pepper
5 shallots – peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 leeks – trimmed and finely sliced
1 tsp ground fennel
Parsley – chopped
150g grated tasty cheese
1 egg – lightly beaten
100g ricotta
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp olive oil
Sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 165°C

To make pastry, combine flour, salt, olive oil and water. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
For filling, combine pumpkin, carrot, potato and celeriac in a baking dish. Add 50ml of olive oil and seasoning. Roast for one hour, turning occasionally. Turn oven off and leave for another hour.
Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add shallots, garlic and leek and cook until soft. Add fennel and parsley, then add roasted vegetables. Add cheese and beaten egg and stir.
Preheat oven to 200°C
Line a large baking tray with paper. Divide pastry into four pieces (make two slightly larger). Roll larger pieces into 5mm thick ovals. Spread vegetable mixture onto each, scattering ricotta over the top. Roll remaining pastry into ovals, and cover vegetables. Press and twist edges together to seal.
Brush tops with egg/olive oil mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt & pepper. Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden. Set aside for 10 mins before serving.

Meat Pie

1 onion, chopped
600g lean beef mince or chopped steak
1 cup water
2 beef stock cubes
¼ cup tomato sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper
1 sheet shortcrust pastry
1 sheet puff pastry

Preheat oven to 190°C
Fry chopped onion and mince over a low heat until meat is browned. Add ¾ cup water, stock cubes, sauces and seasonings and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins. Blend flour with remaining water. Add to the meat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins, stirring continuously. Allow to cool.

Line pie dish with shortcrust pastry. Add meat filling and top with puff pastry sheet. Seal edges and brush with milk. Bake for 45 mins or until golden brown.

Cottage Pie

1 tbsp vegetable oil
600g of lean beef mince (Variation - substitute) 2 x 400g cans of brown lentils for vegetarian)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g can of diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chopped thyme
1 cup vegetable stock


Approx 700-800g potatoes, peeled, chopped
Butter
Milk
100g grated cheddar

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat and brown mince. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add celery, carrot and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and stock.

Simmer gently for 15 minutes until vegetables are cooked. (Add lentils if using) Season, then transfer to a 1.2-litre baking dish. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and mash. Stir in butter, milk and cheese. Spread over pie mixture and roughen top with a fork.
Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbling and golden.

Ooo, they all sound great! I took a shepherd's pie recipe and modified the heck out of it to my liking, to create a really tasty concoction. My family loves it!

Meat pie filling

1 brown onion, finely chopped
500g minced lamb (or beef)
1 ½ cups water
½ tablespoon beef stock
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 ½ - 2 tablespoons gravy powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
½ - 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp sage
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp mixed herbs

Heat a little oil in a large saucepan or frying pan and saute onion & meat over medium-high heat, until meat is browned. Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients in a jug. Pour liquid into the pan, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve.

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I love just throwing things together! You could make this into a pie with pastry or add some veggies, put it in a baking dish with mashed spud on top and bake it, or just eat it as-is with some mashed spud. :D