When I was at boarding school, Saturday nights were essentially junk food nights. Being the only non-school night of the week I guess the school felt it necessary to fill our bellies with things that might absorb at least one of the too many beers we all planned on drinking at the pub. Or the vodka that someone had sneaked in from a day trip to Peterborough. The teachers knew and yet mostly turned a blind eye…I’ll never forget my housemistress walking into a room of my fellow housemates all gripping mugs filled with vodka and coke as if they were cups of tea and her saying: I hope that is nailpolish I smell girls. And then she walked out and we all giggled like… well like schoolgirls. Generally speaking I was more interested in the going out part, sneaking vodka and wine bottles out of the house stuffed in my cullotes and the cheese toasties that we would make once we’d run back down the drive to make curfew, than what was on the menu for dinner. There were some nights though….they served these bacon (back bacon- not the streaky kind) and cheese turnovers. Bacon and cheese wrapped in puff pastry bought from the local bakery….I mean come on! Enough to clog an artery and soak up a pint of beer. I loved them.
When I went back to visit my parents a few weeks ago it was so hot that we couldn’t bare to put the oven on most of the week. But after seven nights of salads we thought maybe we could survive the added heat for half an hour. We made these asparagus, mushroom & goats cheese parcels inspired from my favourite pie book, aptly named Pie. I used a mixture of goats cheese and cream cheese a little lemon, caramelized red onions, sautéed mushrooms and of course asparagus. A somewhat healthier option that those that I ate back in my school days….but then I don’t need all that grease to soak up alcohol anymore! They would be delicious with ham or bacon though so of course I encourage you to experiment. Oh and did I mention that these are easy enough to make on one foot, because they are.
Print This PostAsparagus, mushrom & goats cheese parcels
If you can bare to put your oven on this summer then make these. Crispy pastry, creamy cheese and lightly charred asparagus. Serve with a lightly dressed mixed herb salad.
Makes 6
2 Tbsp olive oil plus extra
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3oz cream cheese
3oz rindless goats cheese
zest 1 lemon, juice of 1/2
Salt & pepper to taste
5oz chestnut (cremini) mushrooms, stalks trimmed off and caps sliced
225g/1 sheet puff pastry
Flour for rolling pastry.
1lb thin-medium asparagus
1 Tbsp grated parmesan
• Heat the oven to 425F/225C/Gas 7.
• Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and lightly golden- about 15 minutes. Adjust the temperature accordingly and add a splash of water or more oil if they stick to the pan.
• Meanwhile measure out your cream cheese and goats cheese into the same medium-sized bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice. Once the onions are cooked but still warm stir through the cheese mix. Season to taste and set aside.
• Reheat the onion pan and saute the sliced mushrooms for a couple of minutes until golden. Season with a little salt and pepper.
• Using a little flour roll out your sheet of puff pastry so that it is nice and thin and approximately 12 x 8 inches . Cut the pastry into 6 equal squares using a large sharp knife or pizza wheel.
• Snap the asparagus ends off right where they break and discard the ends. Lay a square of puff pastry in front of you so that one of the points faces you. Spread with some of the cheese and onion mixture (about 2 Tbsp) straight down the middle but not all the way to the sides. Top with some of the mushrooms and then 1/6 of the asparagus. Place the asparagus straight down the middle so that they come up over the edge of the far pastry tip. Allow for at least and inch of space at the corner closest to you.
• Fold the corner closest to you up over the the bottom of the asparagus (about 1/2 way up). Fold over each of the side corners using a little water water to seal the pastry together. Brush the tips of the asparagus with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan. Repeat the process for the remaining 5 parcels.
• Place on a baking tray and place into the oven for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden.
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These look lovely! What a perfect side dish or app for a party. Decadent and simple – two thing I love. Can’t wait to try them and maybe you talked me into adding a bit of bacon
Cheers!