SPINACH AND RED PEPPER ROULADE WITH SHAVED PARMESAN
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing
Filling
2 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, cut in half
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces cream cheese
1 egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Roulade
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 (20-ounce) bag spinach leaves
3 egg yolks
1 small bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 egg whites
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 × 9-inch baking sheet, line it with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper.
2. For the filling, place the red pepper halves in a shallow roasting pan with a piece of rosemary, some garlic, and olive oil in each cavity of the pepper. Roast the peppers in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the peppers start to soften. Remove from the oven, and put in a ziplock bag or a bowl covered with plastic to steam the peppers. When the peppers get to room temperature, peel off the skins, and discard the rosemary. Put the red peppers into a blender, and blend them finely. Add the cream cheese and egg yolk, and continue blending. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.
3. For the roulade, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, and add the mushrooms, stirring until they start to soften. Add the spinach to the mushrooms, and stir until the spinach leaves start to wilt. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the spinach mix to cool. Fold in the egg yolks and chives, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, and fold them into the spinach mixture. Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, or until just firm to the touch.
5. Lay a sheet of parchment paper out on the table, and sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese onto it. When the roulade is cooked, remove from the oven, and turn it onto the prepared parchment. Trim the edges off the roulade. Spread the red pepper filling evenly across the roulade, taking care to leave about a ½-inch border around the edges. Holding the parchment paper, roll up the roulade, squeezing it gently as you go so it rolls up to a nice round shape. Slice into thick slices, and return them, on their sides, to the oven for 5 more minutes until they are warm. You can also prepare them up to this stage in advance, and cool them in the refrigerator. If so, they’ll need to bake about 10 minutes to completely heat through.
6. Serve the roulade in place of a vegetable side dish. You can also serve it as a main course, as I used to do for Princess Diana, on a bed of salad leaves tossed in olive oil and lemon juice with toasted walnut pieces and shaved Parmesan as garnish.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS