Spinach and Feta Rounds with Greek Tomato Salad

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Ready In: 45 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE FETA ROUNDS

1 tablespoon - extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz - pack of frozen spinach (thawed)

4 - spring onions (salad onions)

3 large - eggs

6 fl oz - single cream

1 tablespoon - plain bread crumbs

2 teaspoons - crumbled dried mint

1 teaspoon - salt

  - freshly ground black pepper

  - freshly grated nutmeg

  pinch - cayenne pepper

2 oz - feta cheese

FOR THE GREEK SALAD

12 oz - baby tomatoes

2 - 3 - pepperoncini (Tuscan peppers or golden Greek peppers)

¾ oz - pitted kalamata olives

2 tablespoons - extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon - freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon - dried oregano

  - salt and pepper

Directions

  1. First, make the feta rounds... heat the oil in a medium frying pan (skillet) over medium-high heat. Squeeze any excess water out of the spinach, then add the spinach to the pan. Thinly slice the spring onions, add them to the pan and cook, stirring, until dry (about 4 minutes). Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander and press with the back of a spoon to remove the last of the moisture.
  2. >Put the spinach mixture, eggs, single cream, bread crumbs, mint, salt, black and cayenne peppers, and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse until the spinach is finely chopped. Remove the blade and stir in the feta cheese (well crumbled). Brush 4 (6oz - 175g) ramekins with a little olive oil and place them onto a baking tray. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins then place the baking sheet on a rack in the centre of a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 6 - 400ºF - 200ºC). Bake until the mixture is set around the edges but still slightly soft in the centre (about 20 minutes). Turn off the oven but leave the ramekins inside to set (about another 5 minutes).
  3. While the spinach and feta mixture is cooking, prepare the Greek tomato salad. Cut the baby tomatoes in two, stem and chop the pepperoncini (Tuscan peppers or golden Greek peppers or sweet Italian peppers) and pit and coarsely chop the black olives. Toss the tomatoes with the pepperoncini and olives in a salad bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and black pepper to taste then toss again to coat everything.
  4. When the spinach mixture is set, run a knife around edge of each ramekin and invert them onto individual plates. Spoon some tomato salad around each and serve straight away with crusty bread.