Baked Spinach With Fontina Food

SPINACH-AND-FONTINA STRATA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Fill pan with as much spinach as will fit; cook, stirring, adding remainder a handful at a time as space allows. When all the spinach is wilted, stir in pepper and nutmeg. Drain spinach in a sieve. When cool enough to handle, squeeze excess moisture from spinach by hand.
• Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Place a third of the bread in a single layer in dish. Top with half the spinach mixture and a third of the cheeses. Repeat layering with a third of the bread, remaining spinach mixture, and a third of the cheeses, then top with remaining bread.
• Whisk together 6 eggs, 2 cups milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and carefully pour over bread. Cover with parchment, and gently press down with hands until egg mixture soaks through top of bread. Cover parchment with foil, and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, remove strata from refrigerator, uncover, and let stand 30 minutes. Whisk together remaining 2 eggs and 2/3 cup milk, and pour over strata, gently pressing between layers of bread with a spoon or spatula to ensure that egg mixture seeps to bottom. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake until puffed and golden brown in places, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

CREAMY BAKED PENNE WITH CHICKEN, SPINACH, AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of the tomatoes, the heavy cream and 3/4 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the penne in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to a large bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, spinach, rotisserie chicken, half of the fontina and pecorino and all of the basil to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining fontina and pecorino. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until almost done, about 12 minutes.
• Drain.
• Put the pasta in the prepared baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
• Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the water as possible from the spinach.
• Put the spinach in a food processor and puree with the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in half the fontina.
• Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta.
• Top with the remaining fontina and Parmesan.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the top.
• Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• VARIATION:.
• You can substitute another chunky pasta, such as penne rigate, penne, ziti, or fusilli. Boil all of these one or two minutes less.

BAKED SPINACH WITH FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs in large bowl to blend. Mix in spinach, then cheese and tomatoes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil reserved from tomatoes in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add to spinach mixture. Mix in salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
• Bake spinach mixture until set in center, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

BRUSCHETTA WITH FONTINA AND GREENS

Steps:

• For the toasts: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes. Rub the warm toasts with the cut side of the garlic. Set aside.
• For the topping: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 of the spinach and stir until it begins to wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, to taste. Using tongs, arrange the spinach on top of the toasts. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Season with salt and cool for 2 minutes.
• Transfer the bruschetta to a platter and serve.

BAKED SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
• Clean spinach thoroughly. Remove all excess water. Chop spinach. Arrange spinach and flour in layers, nestle beaten eggs about midway between the layers.
• Combine cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in optional parsley, if desired. Sprinkle over top of spinach. Mix butter or margarine, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 minutes to one hour.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH FONTINA CHEESE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• For sauce: combine wine, cream, lemon juice, vinegar, chopped shallot and pepper in medium saucepan.
• Boil until reduced to ¼ cup, about 8 minutes (can be prepared 1 day ahead).
• For chicken: Pound each chicken breast between sheets of wax paper to 7 x 4 inch rectangle.
• Place smooth side down on work surface.
• Rub ½ tsp olive oil and ½ tsp minced garlic over each chicken breast.
• Sprinkle each with 1/3 cup of Fontina cheese.
• Top each with 3 spinach leaves, overlapping if necessary.
• Starting at short end, tightly roll up chicken, jelly-roll style.
• Tie with string in several places (can be prepared 8 hours ahead).
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Heat remaining 2 tblsps oil in heavy, large ovenproof skillet.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Brown well on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer to plate and cool 5 minutes.
• Bring sauce to simmer.
• Add butter, one piece at a time, whisking just until butter melts and sauce is smooth.
• Spoon sauce onto plates.
• Cut string off chicken.
• Cut chicken crosswise into ½ inch thick slices and fan out on plates, overlapping.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

SPINACH GNOCCHI WITH FONTINA CHEESE

Steps:

• Steam potatoes until very tender, about 35 minutes. Cool potatoes slightly and peel. Mash potatoes in large bowl until smooth. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring 2 inches of salted water to boil in large pot. Add spinach leaves to pot and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain spinach, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible from spinach. Puree spinach in processor, adding reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary to help puree and scraping down sides of processor bowl occasionally.
• Transfer spinach mixture to bowl with potatoes. Mix in egg, ground nutmeg and enough flour until soft and slightly sticky dough forms. Season dough to taste with salt.
• Dust baking sheet with flour. Working in batches and using floured hands, roll 1/4 cup dough on lightly floured work surface to form 12-inch rope. Cut rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece between palms to form oval ball. Lightly flour the wires of a whisk. Using thumb, gently roll each ball down length of wires, making ribbed impressions in gnocchi. Transfer gnocchi to prepared baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting and shaping of remaining dough.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 13x9-inch baking dish. Working in batches, add gnocchi to large pot of boiling salted water and cook until gnocchi rise to surface of water, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove gnocchi from water, draining off excess, and transfer to prepared baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over gnocchi; toss thoroughly to coat. Top with Fontina cheese slices. (Gnocchi can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Bake until gnocchi are heated through and cheese bubbles, about 10 minutes.

BAKED PENNE WITH FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x12-inch baking dish with nonfat cooking spray. Set aside.
• Put on a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
• Toast the pine nuts in a large skillet over medium heat. When pine nuts are golden brown, add olive oil, garlic, salt, and red chile pepper flakes. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce thickens.
• While sauce is simmering, cook pasta to according to package directions for "firm". Drain and pour pasta into prepared baking dish. Stir in butter to coat. Add sauce and Parmesan cheese and stir well. Top with Fontina cheese and parsley and place in oven.
• Cook, uncovered, for 8 to 9 minutes or until cheese melts.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA & FONTINA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a 9 x 13" baking dish.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until almost done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Put the pasta in the prepared baking dish & toss with 1 Tbsp of the oil.
• Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the water as possible from the spinach. Put the spinach in a food processor & puree with the ricotta, 3 Tbsp of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, salt & pepper. Stir in half the fontina.
• Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta. Top with the remaining fontina & Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp oil over the top. Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15 - 20 minutes.
• VARIATION: You can substitute another chunky pasta, such as penne rigate, penne, ziti or fusilli. Boil all of these one or two minutes less.