Italian Christmas Cookies

Christmas recipe serves: 4

calories per serving: 375

preparation time: 1 hour plus standing & soaking

cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

suitable for freezing (pancakes only)

Christmas recipe ingredients:

white flour, plain 50 g (2 oz)


wholemeal flour, plain 50 g (2 oz)


egg, 1


milk, skimmed 350 ml (12 fl oz)


salt and pepper


vegetable stock, 300 ml (10 fl oz)


mushrooms, dried 25 g (1 oz)


oil, vegetable 30 ml (2 tbsp)


spinach, fresh washed 450 g (1 lb)

or


spinach, frozen leaf 350 g (12 oz)


soft cheese, reduced fat 225 g (8 oz)

mushrooms, brown cap 450 g (1 lb)


spring onions, 1 bunch


garnish, flat-leaf parsley

Christmas recipe instructions:

Use a food processor for the batter so mix the egg, a pinch of salt, milk and both flours. Then stand for 30 minutes. Soak the dried mushrooms and stock for 30 minutes.


Coat the base of a non-stick pan with some batter after heating oil in it. Cook until golden brown (usually a couple of minutes), then cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the batter till you have about a dozen or so pancakes.


Cook the spinach for a few minutes before allowing to cool, removing the liquid and cutting up. Add the soft cheese and salt and pepper to taste.


Cook the chopped onions and brown-cap mushrooms in 15 ml (1 tbsp) of hot oil until light brown in color. Add the stock and mushrooms, and seasoning, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until the mixture is syrup like.


Take half of this mixture, make smooth in a processor, then return to the pan.


Take the spinach mixture from step 3 and put in an oiled ovenproof dish. Then layer half a dozen pancakes with the mushroom mixture in between along with the remaining spinach mixture. End with the mushroom layer.


Cook until weel browned at gas mark 6 (200 degrees centigrade, 400 F) for about 30 minutes.


Serve with flat-leaf parsley garnish.

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