Il Cucinologo
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Spinach Vol-au-Vent

17/11/2023

The spinach vol-au-vent are an elegant and refined dish, perfect for an appetizer or aperitif. Here is the recipe with an Italian touch:

Ingredients

  • 4 ready-made puff pastry vol-au-vent (or you can make them yourself with ready-made puff pastry and a round cutter)
  • 250 g fresh spinach
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Grated nutmeg (to taste)
  • 100 g ricotta
  • 30 g grated parmesan
  • 1 egg (for brushing, optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
  2. If using ready-made puff pastry, roll it out and cut out circles with the cutter, then with a smaller cutter lightly score the inside of the circle. Bake the vol-au-vent in the oven until golden and puffed, for about 15-20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, wash the spinach well and place it in a pan with a drizzle of oil and the peeled garlic clove. Cover and let the spinach wilt over medium heat, then remove the garlic and squeeze them to remove excess water.
  4. Roughly chop the spinach and mix them in a bowl with the ricotta and parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg.
  5. When the vol-au-vent are ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly.
  6. Fill each vol-au-vent with the spinach and ricotta cream, then you can put them back in the oven for a few minutes to heat them up or serve them as is.
  7. (Optional) For extra browning, you can brush the edges of the vol-au-vent with a beaten egg before baking them one last time in the oven.
  8. Serve immediately.

Fun Facts

The term “vol-au-vent” means “fly in the wind”, to emphasize the lightness of the puff pastry which, if well prepared, is so light that it seems to be able to fly away with a breeze. The spinach version is a green adaptation of the classic recipe and recalls the flavors of Italian culinary tradition.