Feta and Spinach Souffle

After a long week of moving house and starting an internship, I’m finally able to get back into the kitchen. Yay!

For lunch I chucked a some things that took my fancy into a wok: some olive oil, one grated courgette, half a tin of green lentils, a handful of pine nuts, a little crumbled feta and some balsamic vinegar. I cooked the courgette on a hot hob for five or ten minutes and then added the rest to heat through. The combination of ingredients was surprisingly delicious and I managed not to spoil it by adding more ingredients. The problem was knowing what to eat it with; it wasn’t filling enough on its own but nothing sprung to mind that would go with it. In the end we settled on a quiche lorraine made especially by Coop!

For supper, I felt more adventurous and I had a go at low-rise spinach and goats cheese soufflé pilfered from Sophie Grigson’s Spices. This recipe was very exciting to make, especially to someone who thinks of soufflés as a kind of magic. And it came out of oven to looking smashingly golden and fluffy. But it had that almost rubbery eggy texture and the nutmeg didn’t seem to add anything. Maybe the nutmeg was only there because each recipe had to had to include a spice? I couldn’t think of a spice which would come out better. If I remade the dish I would I would cook the onions, spinach (and maybe toss in a bit of dill) as the recipe says, make a couple of dips, crack some eggs into them and then cook in the grill/oven until the eggs are cooked.

For potato wedges to go with the soufflé I used a tried and tested recipe, I’m not sure where from. Peel, cut and boil the potatoes until soft. Drain and put back in the saucepan. Add a glug of olive oil and balsamic, a generous sprinkling of paprika and shake the pan. Don’t worry if some break. Put on a baking tray and in a very hot oven for 40 minutes or so. Yummy.

Ingredients

60g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

450g spinach, tough stalks removed

1 onion, peeled and chopped

450g plain flour

150ml milk

300g goat’s cheese, derinded and crumbled (I used feta)

4 large eggs, separated, plus an extra egg white

juice of ½ lemon

½ nutmeg, grated

sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan (optional but good)

Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas mark 7. Grease a shallow 25x18cm ovenproof dish with a little butter. Rinse the spinach and shake off excess water.

In a large saucepan, fry the onion gently in butter, until tender and translucent. Now add the spinach, packing it tightly, clamp on the lid and cook for 4 minutes. Stir, cover again and cook for another 10 minutes until spinach is very soft. Sprinkle over the flour and stir in. Now gradually stir in the milk. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently until very thick.

Take off the heat and stir in the goat’s cheese, breaking it up into smaller knobbles with the spoon. Next stir in the egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the lemon juice. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, making the seasoning a tad larger than life, as it will be softened by the egg whites.

In a separate bowl, whisk the 5 egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Beat 1 tablespoon into the spinach mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remainder.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan, if using. Bake for 25 minutes, until puffed and browned, but still with a teensy wobble when tapped. Serve instantly.