My ghost of Christmas past would bring a Tom and Jerry sweatsuit, a big yellow bag which contained the gifts the whole family, a baked fillet of salmon and a spinach flan. If I had to identify in every Christmas past, flipping through my memories album, an element that is always present, that tastes of home and that is repeated every 25th December, I would choose the spinach flan.

It is reassuring and cosy in its creaminess, intriguing thanks to the crunchy crust, the most desired bit at the table. The spinach flan is a side dish that doesn’t steal the scene to the main course, but accompanies it, dressing whatever it is on its Sunday best.

I remember those Christmases past: Mum and Aunt brought to the table a never ending lunch made of appetizers, two starters, a nice fillet of baked salmon and then a generous spoonful of spinach flan. Margherita, the almost-sister-cousin with whom I grew up, and I waited impatiently for that green and creamy spoonful of deliciousness, much more greedy of that than of the classic pandoro or panettone.

The height of success of the spinach flan was during the evening at home in your pajamas, only the four of us. We used to talk about the day watching a Christmas movie and having a “light” dinner with the leftovers. At that time I didn’t even need a dish: Mum put me in front of the mould with the last portion of the spinach flan and I licked the mould clean patiently, savoring the creamy center and the crispy and golden brown crust.

The spinach flan can be an ’80s style dish, perhaps a reflection of my Christmases past, but this year it has the right to enter into the game of the Christmas present.

Post di: Juls' Kitchen

The spinach flan of the Christmas Past

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There is a moment of my working day that I particularly like. I realized it in these days when I traveled to Rimini, when this moment expanded itself from a few minutes to several hours: I’m talking about the road trip – whether to or back – I’m doing almost every day with my colleague and friend, Romina. We meet at the usual place at the usual time, then we do the transfer from one car to the other in a state of trance, choosing on day mine and one day her car. Car sharing is the new black!

Romina gets off the car with a smooth, continuous movement, grabs her bags, locks her car and with the same agility she sits next to me. Time required: 5 seconds. I’m clumsy even in getting off the car: usually I stumble in my scarf (I like long scarves which you wrap a thousand times around your neck, not my fault…), I open and close the door several times before I have taken everything – from my bag to my lunch box. I check the radio, the keys and finally sit beside her, buried under more bags than those ladies sitting on the bus with only their nose peeping out from their shopping bags. Time required: one minute…

The morning journey to work is mostly peaceful, a few chitchats and a lot of yawns, sad glances out of the windows to the countryside slowly wakening up, while we have to go to the office. Radio DJ or Radio 101, a few notes and a summary of the previous evening, some curses against highway maintenance works and we get to the office.

Coming back in the evening, we unleash us! We are a considerable singing duet, our piece de resistance are the songs by Tiziano Ferro and Gianna Nannini (not my everyday music, I reckon, but they are perfect for the road trips with friends!). In the ten minutes that separate the office from the usual place at the usual time we work off the stress by singing out loud, feeling like the Divas! I was forgetting: we sing atrociously, definitely out of tune… this is the reason we perform our duets just in the winter, with closed windows.

Well, to pull the strings of this post, why on Earth are spinach patties matched with car trips? Because car trips remind me of the joyful spirit with which you live jaunts and picnics, with the car full of baskets, a patterned blanket thrown onto the back seat and happy songs as soundtrack of the day. Sooner or later, we will live again that wonderful time of the year when all you desire is a picnic lunch, a basket full of goodies and a blanket to lay on the ground, looking at the clouds running in the blue sky. Spinach and chicken patties are a perfect idea for a picnic, a mix of vegetables and meat coated in golden breadcrumbs, a delicious trick to have your children eat vegetables. Again, both an excellent choice for the upcoming picnics or a second course to enjoy well seated with your legs under the table, served with crispy fries.

Spinach and chicken patties

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 350 g chicken breast
• 250 g blanched and squeezed spinach
• 1 egg + 1 to coat the patties
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs + extra to coat patties
• salt and pepper
• frying oil (or rather light extra virgin olive oil, definitely better)

Blanch the spinach in boiling for 5 minutes, then drain them and let them cool down. Once cold, squeeze them out and chop them finely with a knife. Cube the raw chicken breast and blend it.

In a bowl, mix the chopped spinach, the minced chicken breast, one egg and two tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Use your hands for a better result. Season with salt and pepper. Shape flat patties with your hands: I made 8 patties with a 5 cm diameter.

Coat the patties in breadcrumbs, then in a slightly beaten egg, then again in breadcrumbs. Deep fry in hot extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes, turning them after 3 minutes.

Leave them for a minute on a paper towel to remove extra olive oil, season them with salt and serve immediately, until warm. As said, they are good even eaten cold with friends during a picnic.

Just a quick reminder: I’ll be judging the Forever Nigella #3 blogging event held by Sarah at Maison Cupcake, Ciao Italia. So let’s all go Italian (deadline Sunday 27 March).

Post di: Juls' Kitchen

Chicken and spinach patties

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1. The spinach flan of the Christmas Past
2. A midsummer night’s dinner. Chicken galantina
3. Chicken breast meatballs