A really amazing recipe from Veg Everyday, the Spinach, Penne and Cheese Spouffle. Now I can't find this recipe online from Hugh F-W, so am not going to break copyright by posting it (although I have seen many naughty bloggers who have done so) so would recommend buying this book again. If anything JUST for this recipe! It's veggie, it's impressive and it is SO yummy!
I find this dish is best cooked over a longer period of time so you haven't got multiple things happening at once, but that may just be me. First, flavour some milk with peppers, onion and bay leaves to about a simmer and then remove from the heat. Wilt some spinach, chop it and mix with cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook some slightly underdone pasta. The best pasta to use is the shells or penne as it contains the other goodness.
Now is the trickier stuff but remember: if I did this first time, so can you! Make a roux (butter and flour) then reheat, drain and add the milk to make a thick white sauce. Also separate your eggs (brilliant method here). The first time I made the roux and white sauce, I really didn't know what I was doing but Google can be your friend here.
Add the spinach, spices and cheese to the white sauce and then add the pasta and egg yolks. Then whisk up the egg whites until they are 'firm peaks' and fold into the rest. Then put into well buttered dishes (or dish if making one big one) and into the oven they go! Mine always take about ten mins longer than suggested, but check with a skewer that nothing comes off them. For this time, I doubled the recipe and it made six of the white bowls and the smaller glass one. I like to serve in the bowls as they look more impressive (I think) and serve on their own. So if you make this as a side, you will need less.
I was cooking for a dinner party and did forget to take photos of the finished product so the one to the right is from a previous making- in fact the first time I ever did it! I did it in one dish that time so it is larger. Hubby also likes taking this to work for his lunch and he says that it reheats in the microwave well, and that he is the envy of the office- can't really beat that!