The GREEN FLAN is a delicate and comforting dish where garden flavors come together in perfect balance. The spinach, tender and fragrant, gives color and freshness, while the ricotta adds creaminess and lightness. The leeks, gently stewed, contribute a soft, slightly sweet aromatic note that harmonizes the whole.
The texture is soft and velvety, ideal to enjoy warm or lukewarm, as a refined starter, an elegant side dish, or a vegetarian main. The intense green of the flan, enriched by a light gratin on top, makes it perfect also for a festive table or a spring brunch.
A simple yet carefully prepared dish that smells of home and seasonal cooking, capable of enhancing genuine ingredients with taste and delicacy.
You can prepare it in individual portions or, as in this case, in a loaf pan. If you wish, you can serve it with an egg sauce that pairs well with spinach and leeks.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 20 cups (approx. 600 g) spinach (fresh)
- 2 leeks
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (about 250 g) cow's ricotta (drained)
- 3 oz (about 80 g) pecorino romano
- 2 tbsp (about 30 g) butter
- 2 oz (about 50 g) blanched almonds (peeled)
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- breadcrumbs (for the pan)
Tools
- 1 Loaf pan
- 2 Pans
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Bowl
Steps
To prepare the green flan, first wash and dry the spinach thoroughly. Put them in a large pan, season lightly with salt, cover with a lid and let them wilt for about 5 minutes.
Stew the leeks, sliced into rounds, in 2 tbsp (about 30 g) of butter and a splash of water. Cook over low heat until soft, then season with salt and pepper as well.
Once the spinach are cooked, let them cool, squeeze them thoroughly and place them in the chopper. Chop until you obtain a smooth and creamy mixture. Adjust salt and pepper.
Place the spinach purée in a bowl and add the stewed leeks, the ricotta, the eggs, the grated pecorino, the coarsely chopped almonds, a pinch of nutmeg, a small pinch of salt (don’t overdo it because the pecorino is quite salty) and a grind of pepper.
Mix everything well.
Grease a loaf pan with butter (alternatively line it with parchment paper to ensure it doesn’t stick and is easy to unmold), dust the base and sides with breadcrumbs, fill with the mixture and compact it.
Bake the green flan in a preheated oven at 356°F for 35–40 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let it cool completely before unmolding.
Serve sliced in thick pieces.
ACCOMPANIMENT
For the egg sauce:
4 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 1/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pour the yolks into a saucepan and whisk them, cooking them in a bain-marie for 5 minutes while stirring continuously. Remove the sauce from the heat and, while stirring, add the juice of half a lemon and 3 1/3 tbsp of oil in a thin stream. Season with salt and add the chives.
Unmold the flan onto a serving plate and serve it accompanied by the sauce.
STORAGE
The green flan keeps in the fridge, well covered, for up to 2 days.
