Spicy Green Savoury Roulade

Chilli roulade sponge with a pesto, spinach and walnut filling.

You will need:-

3 eggs

40g of butter

60g of plain flour

1/4tsp tumeric

1/2-1 1/2tsp of chilli powder

250ml warm milk

3 handfuls of spinach

a handful of walnuts (chopped)

50g of basil leaves

1tsp of pine nuts

1 clove of garlic

25g of vegetarian hard Italian style cheese

Preheat the oven to 200C, grease and line a swiss roll tin (23x33cm). In a pan, melt 40g of butter on a low heat then add 60g of plain flour, 1/4tsp of turmeric and 1/2 to 1 1/2 tsp of chilli powder (depending on how spicy you want it). Stir this into a thick paste, then turn the heat low as possible before adding 250ml of milk a little at a time, while stirring constantly until it thickens. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the egg yolks. Leave this to cool.

In a large glass bowl, whisk the egg whites until forming stiff peaks and remains in the bowl if turned upside down. Using a metal spoon, mix two spoonfuls of the egg whites into the flour mixture in the pan, this will slacken down the mixture. Then, using a cutting mixture, mix in the rest of the egg whites. Flour the greaseproof paper in the tin and then pour the mixture into the swiss roll pan, bake this for 15mins until risen and firm.

While the sponge is in the oven, make the pesto and prepare the spinach. To make the pesto, put 50g of basil leaves, 1tsp of pine nuts, 1 clove of garlic and 25g of vegetarian hard italian cheese into a blender and mix into a fine paste. Then, prepare the spinach by cooking it down in a pan with a small amount of oil, ensuring as much water is out of the spinach as possible.

When the sponge is done, leave it to cool completely, before turning it over and gently peeling off the greaseproof paper. Spread the pesto over the sponge, sprinkle the chopped walnuts and cooked spinach over the top.

Place the sponge on top of some cling film and use this to tightly roll the sponge.

Tip: You could add some sun dried tomatoes or even some chorizo to the filling to make this the main part of a meal. But this recipe is designed to be eaten alongside a stew or with a meal.

Enjoy! x