Look at these pretty little Spinach and Feta Puff Pastries that I prepared after dinner this evening. My school lunch supplies were limited so I whipped up this batch for my tribe to enjoy tomorrow with some crunchy raw veggies on the side. Just as well I made extras because once my older three children had finished off their homework and developed yet another appetite in the process, they pounced on the pastries with delight. 

The extra “puffy quality” is courtesy of the Careme frozen pastry that I always keep in my freezer. It is sublime. Light, smooth and multi-layered it manages to make even an ordinary filling like stewed apple into something special. 

For the filling, simply follow the Spinach and Cheese Pastry recipe that I posted on the 11th July 2014 but leave out the ricotta cheese and instead use the same amount of extra feta. I also used an extra length of pastry for each roll to achieve the additional crispy height. 

Since this morning’s weather outlook was so grey, drizzly and unpleasant I took the opportunity to cook up a jumbo pot of my Napoletana Sauce. Packed with fresh vegetables and herbs and simmered slowly in the oven, it is an essential freezer item in my kitchen. This sauce can be made into a marinara base just by adding seared garlicky seafood, or spread over home made pizza bases. A spoonful stirred through pureed baby food adds additional flavour and vitamins, and as a quick mid-week meal, it is ideal tossed through pasta with loads of sharp parmesan grated just before serving. My house has such an inviting aroma right now from today’s home cooking – basil, garlic, tomatoes, roasted capsicums, mushrooms… a wonderful way to fall asleep. 

Napoletana Sauce – I also added a couple of handfuls of sliced button mushrooms to today’s batch. 

1 x tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
50 grams unsalted butter – if you prefer not to use butter, just double the amount of olive oil, but I find it adds richness and flavour. 
1 x large onion (brown or white)
6 x cloves garlic
2 x medium zucchini
1 x long stick of celery
4 x 400 gram tins of chopped tomatoes
half a bunch of fresh basil (leaves only) – if you don’t have fresh basil handy, then add half a teaspoon of the dried variety. Basil is so easy to grow that it’s worth having a couple of pots with this versatile herb growing all year round. 
1 x teaspoon dried Italian herbs
2 x teaspoons sea salt
good grind of black pepper
2 x teaspoons brown sugar

Using a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over a medium heat. I recommend using a large saucepan to prevent the sauce from bubbling over and splattering the stove. 

Finely dice all the fresh vegetables, add to the saucepan and and sauté for about 10-15 minutes over a medium heat until they start to soften. Don’t hurry this stage because it is important for the flavours to be released which add a sweetness to the overall sauce. If the ingredients start to stick, reduce the heat and stir. 

Add the tinned tomatoes and the remaining ingredients. Fill two of the tins with tap water, add to the mixture and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Then, reduce to a low heat, clamp on the lid and simmer for at least an hour (an extra half hour is even better), stirring occasionally to prevent burning. This can also be cooked in the oven at 170 degrees conventional (150 degrees fan forced) for 2 hours.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if required. You can serve as is in it’s thickened, chunky form, or blend the sauce before serving or storing. I use a Barmix hand held blender which can go straight into the saucepan and is a huge time saver. If you don’t have one, then a traditional blender will also do the job but wait until the sauce has cooled to room temperature to prevent burning.