Community cookbook

MEDITERRANEAN SPINACH AND FETA BALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND WHOLEMEAL CIABATTA

Serves 4

Ready in 40 minutes

Ingredients

Spinach Balls

■ 50g baby spinach, finely chopped

■ 10g bunch basil, finely chopped ■ 200g feta cheese, crumbled

■ 30g grated parmesan

■ cup flour

■ 2 eggs

Sauce

■ 1 drizzle of olive oil

■ 1 brown onion, finely diced ■ 60g tomato paste

■ tsp smoked paprika

■ 800g can crushed tomatoes ■ 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Ciabatta

■ 300g wholemeal ciabatta loaf

Salad

■ 1 courgette, peeled into ribbons ■ 1 twin pack baby cos lettuce, leaves separated

■ 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 230C (or 210C fan bake). If you don’t have an ovenproof frypan, set aside a medium baking dish.

Prep spinach balls: Finely chop spinach and basil. Crumble feta into a medium bowl and add remaining spinach ball ingredients. Mix well, until

combined, and set aside.

Cook sauce: Heat oil in a large ovenproof frypan on mediumhigh heat. Finely dice onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add tomato paste and smoked paprika and cook for a further 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Add canned tomatoes

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and sugar and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until thickened. Season to taste.

Bake spinach balls and ciabatta: Transfer sauce to baking dish, if using. Spoon tablespoon amounts of spinach ball mixture into sauce. Bake on upper oven rack for 10 minutes. When the spinach balls have been in the oven for 7 minutes, place ciabatta on an oven tray and bake on lower rack for about 3 minutes, until hot through.

Prep salad: Peel courgette into ribbons and separate lettuce leaves. Toss in a large bowl with balsamic vinegar.

Grill spinach balls: After the spinach balls have cooked for 10 minutes, remove the bread from the oven and switch the oven to high grill. Grill the spinach balls for about 2 minutes, until golden. Thickly slice ciabatta.

Serve: Spinach balls topped with sauce. Salad and ciabatta on the side.