These lil babies seem to be a popular bunch!  I made mine with gluten free flours – but you can use plain flour for a more gluey result!  (Have you seen what wheat flour does to your insides?!!  I’ll show you some day!)

This simple recipe is one of my favourite mathematical equations: quick + easy = I like very much.

Basically I’m using up stuff in my pantry and the last bits of that which is left in the fridge – so depending on what I have and feel like using, I might throw in some prosciutto (and I probably wouldn’t add salt in that case as ’twill be salty enough with the cheeses in my view) or some jarred roasted red peppers.  Maybe even some pine nuts or toasted seeds?

Amongst my fridge, freezer and pantry staples there is usually Greek feta cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto San Daniele, frozen spinach, jars of roasted peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.  So I really like this recipe because I usually always have these ingredients hanging around.  But also, if you buy the ingredients especially for this recipe, you don’t have to make it on the day – which sometimes happens with me – I spend a long time shopping and then am too exhausted or behind time to bake when I get home!!  These ingredients are staples.

I have a few types of gluten free flour hanging around, (quinoa, tapioca, buckwheat, brown rice, almond, coconut etc) and I’m always experimenting with them in place of wheat flour, as different gf flours seem to yield different results, and often they can turn your cakes to rocks!  The trick is to mix gf flours and sometimes you might need to add more liquid.  If you’re not too worried about being gluten free, try this first time with plain unbleached flour and progress from there.

I’m kinda particular about things!  I might sound a bit wanky but I have my reasons for sounding so (not saying they’re not wanky reasons – whatever!)  For instance, I like to use/eat Parmigiano Reggiano because I happen to think it’s a better quality, and it’s original, which is what I want to use in my cooking.  It’s bloody expensive at the moment, but I would rather buy the good stuff and use it sparingly, than buy “parmesan” that’s not from Parma/Reggio Emilia, and have to use a heap of it in search of flavour and substance!  But that’s just me.

Neither do I use nor buy bacon, as I feel strongly about how pigs are cruelly kept in pens to produce our pork products, and because bacon is full of nitrates and artificial additives.  I buy Prosciutto San Daniele, and use that as bacon as well as in the ‘crudo’ style.  Prosciutto is made from wild boar and pigs hind legs.  I particularly favour the flavour of the San Daniele piggies, but also, this brand is covered by a Protected Designation of Origin,(as is Parmigiano Reggiano), which for this prosciutto, only uses sea salt to dry out and flavour the pig, no nitrates, no nasties.  Quality control basically.  Anyway, I think I’m digressing here a bit …

Let’s Make Muffins!

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celsius, and grease your muffin pan.  This recipe makes about twelve large sized muffins, but I made mini muffins and so yielded about 28!  I pretty much ate them all myself too – ssssh!

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Gluten Free flour – I used 1.5 cups Quinoa flour, 0.5 cups tapioca flour.  Or just 2 cups Plain unbleached Flour!

4 tsps (gluten free & no nasties added) baking powder

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 lg free range organic eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup spinach (I use thawed chopped frozen spinach)

3/4 cup feta cheese (I love Dodoni Greek Feta)

3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained & chopped.

 

Method:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and Parmigiana.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, and combine with the buttermilk, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and feta.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.  You don’t want to overbeat muffins or they won’t rise nicely.

Spoon the mixture to fill 3/4 of each muffin hole and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through and golden on the outside.

Leave in the pan for about ten minutes (or they’ll break up when you try to extract them!) then turn out onto a wire rack to cool …. this is where mine usually disappear … they taste delicious eaten warm from the oven!

Enjoy!