Beetroot, spinach & goats' cheese puff pastry parcels

I was invited by one of Polish vegetarian bloggers to participate in her blog while she is on holiday. Although I am not a vegetarian anymore I was really pleased with this opportunity, because my favourite dishes are vegetarian.

Today I am going to show you one of my favourite recipes that I have found in “Delicious” magazine (December 2007 issue). I keep coming back to it, as it is easy to prepare, suitable to eat cold or hot and to reheat in microwave. It is a nice surprise for guest whether they are vegetarians or not. Everyone loves it.

It is a recipe for beetroot, goats’ cheese and spinach parcels by Simon Rimmer. I have changed it slightly so these are the quantities for 8 small parcels. Also sometimes I make round parcels, like in Simon’s recipe; sometimes I take a shortcut and make an envelope like shape. It is up to you how you shape yours.

375g ready rolled puff pasty, cut into 8 squares
3 medium beetroots
100g baby spinach
125g goats’ cheese, crumbled
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 red onion sliced finely
50g dried cranberries
1 egg, beaten
some poppy seeds, to decorate
salt
freshly ground black pepper
little olive oil


Preheat the oven to 190°C. Put the beetroot in a roasting tin, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss together. Roast until tender. Set aside to cool slightly, then remove the skins and cut each into 8 pieces.

In a large bowl mix beets with the spinach, cheese, onion, chilli and cranberries, and some seasoning.

Divide the filling between the centre of each pastry square. Fold the corners over the filling, pressing with your fingers to seal and form a parcel. Place seal-side up on a baking sheet lined with a baking paper. Brush with the egg and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed up and golden.