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2 months ago
18
The freezer, to my mind, serves one of three purposes. The best-case scenario is that it’s home to a stash of neatly labelled and perfectly portioned meals for the weeks to come, and the worst-case scenario is that it’s the place where food goes to die. In between these two extremes, we have purpose three: namely, it provides space for all those ice trays that the last person to use failed to refill and, crucially, a home for a frankly ridiculous number of bags of peas, half a bag of spinach and last summer’s berries. Here are two recipes for the latter.
Quejadas de leite (milk tarts) with “preserved” berries (pictured top)
Like baked custards set within the lightest of sponge casings, these milk tarts have a flavour reminiscent of pastéis de nata, and are so simple and delicious. These quantities will make more of the preserved berries than you need here, but they keep really well in the fridge, all ready to jazz up breakfast.
Prep 10 min
Rest 50 min
Cook 25 min
Makes 12
70g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, plus 15g extra, melted
440ml milk
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
70g plain flour
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
Salt
½ tbsp coarse semolina or polenta For the preserved berries
400g frozen summer berries, defrosted
75g caster sugar
75ml white-wine vinegar
For the whipped cream
75ml double cream
45g cream cheese
¾ tsp caster sugar
Put the cubed butter in a saucepan with the milk and vanilla, then set it over a medium heat, so the milk warms up and the butter melts.
Put the flour, sugar, eggs and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to a smooth batter. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the warm milk mixture to make a very runny batter, then set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put half the defrosted berries in a medium saucepan with the sugar and vinegar, bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the fruit collapses into a syrupy compote. Stir in the remaining berries, take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
In another bowl, whisk the cream, cream cheese and caster sugar to soft peaks, then cover and chill until needed.
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Brush a 12-hole muffin tray with the melted butter, then sprinkle the semolina into each hole, so it lightly coats the insides. Pour in the sponge batter to fill each mould, then carefully lift the tray into the hot oven and immediately turn down the heat to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the sponge is caramelised around the edges and yellow in the centre, then remove and leave to cool in the tray for 20 minutes.
Carefully take the sponges out of the moulds by running a palette or butter knife all around the edges and bases, then serve warm or cool and topped with a dollop of the whipped cream and a tablespoon of the berries.
‘Strange flavour’ spinach and peas
That “strange flavour” does not refer to how things might taste if they’ve been in the freezer for too long – it’s the name of a Sichuan sauce that, in the words of she-who-knows-all-things-Sichuan Fuchsia Dunlop, references the “unusual yet artful combination of a wide variety of ingredients to make a perfectly balanced sauce”. The sauce keeps very well in the fridge and is uncommonly good over all sorts of things from poached chicken and steamed aubergine to simply cooked noodles and freezer-raid veg, so by all means make more of it, if you like. And if you happen to have some Sichuan peppercorns to hand, you could do a lot worse than toast them, then grind and sprinkle a little on top at the end for their uniquely tingly kick.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4 as a side
3 tbsp olive oil
140g spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
900g frozen spinach
Fine sea salt
200g frozen peas
20g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
50g crispy shallots (shop-bought or homemade), to serve
For the strange flavour sauce
60g tahini
20g caster sugar
10g chilli oil
20g soy sauce
10g Chinkiang black rice vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
Put the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the spring onions, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring regularly, for five minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Add the frozen spinach and a teaspoon of salt, turn up the heat to high and cook, stirring from time to time, for 15 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium and carry on cooking, still stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture evaporates. Stir in the peas, cook for another 10 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the sauceand 20ml water in a medium bowl, whisk until smooth and loose, then set aside.
Stir the coriander through the spinach mixture, then transfer it to a platter. Drizzle over the sauce, followed by the crispy shallots, and serve at once.
