What's not to love about paneer, I say! This nifty paneer squares recipe makes a very delicious paneer starter. In fact, this is even better when served as finger food to accompany drinks. These little peppery paneer squares are easy to make and very moreish, so make plenty!
Yields 20
Prep Time - 30 min
Cook Time - 45 min
Total Time - 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
Ready rolled puff pastry - 1 sheet
Paneer - 225 g
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 4 cloves
Spinach - 100 g
Red pepper - 1 large
Mature cheddar cheese - 100 g (approx). With cheese, the more the merrier though, I think!
Black pepper
Salt
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Instructions
Peel and finely chop the onion
Peel and finely chop the garlic
Dice the paneer
Wash and chop the spinach coarsely
Dice the pepper
Grate the cheese
Heat the oil in a pan on medium
When hot, add the onion and sauté till translucent
Add the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes
Add the spinach, stir through, cover and cook for 5 minutes, to allow the spinach to wilt
Open and allow to cook till the water has almost evaporated
Add the pepper and mix through. Cook for 5 minutes until the pepper softens
Add the paneer
Season with salt and pepper
Mix through and cook for 5 minutes. Fold everything in occasionally, to prevent it sticking to the pan
Allow to cool
In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees celcius
Roll out the pastry sheet
Using a sharp knife, cut into 20 squares and arrange on a non-stick baking tray
Using a blunt knife, gently mark out a square in each square, about half a centimetre from the edge. Be careful not to cut through the pastry
Spoon the paneer mixture onto the inner squares
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top
Place in the middle of your preheated oven
Bake for approx 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese melts and the pastry turns golden brown
Use a spatula to ease the squares off the tray
Serve hot
Notes
Mix a little grated mozzarella along with the cheddar for a stretchy cheese topping!
To check if your pastry has cooked, look at the bottom of the squares. They should come off the baking tray easily and should be golden to light brown
If you don't have a non-stick baking tray, line your tray with baking parchment and place your pastry squares on top