Fontina Panini With Spinach Food

FONTINA PANINI WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat closed contact grill or panini maker for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spread 1 side of each bread slice with honey mustard; sprinkle onions over 4 slices of bread. Layer with spinach, roasted peppers, cheese and remaining bread slices.
• Place sandwiches on grill. Close grill; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Cut each sandwich in half to serve.

MUSHROOM, SPINACH, AND FONTINA PANINI

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over med-high heat; add in mushrooms and shallots; saute until mushrooms are softened and release their juices, 3-5 minutes.
• Continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 2-3 minutes longer.
• Stir in the Cognac, chopped tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook/stir, for 1 minute; let cool slightly.
• Preheat the sandwich grill; melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over med-high heat.
• Place bread slices on a work surface and brush 1 side of each with the melted butter.
• Turn and layer 1/4 of the cheese, half of the mushrooms, and half of the spinach on the unbuttered side of two of the bread slices.
• Divide the remaining cheese on top; place the remaining 2 bread slices on top, buttered sides up, and press to pack gently.
• Place the panini in the grill; close the top plate, and cook until the bread is golden and toasted, the spinach is wilted, and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes; serve immediately.

PANINO DI PROSCIUTTO E FONTINA

Steps:

• Place 1 to 2 slices of fontina atop 1 bread slice. Top with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Then add spinach and prosciutto. Add the remaining slice(s) of fontina. Top with the second bread slice. Brush both sides of the sandwich with the oil.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-low heat. Grill the sandwich until the bread is golden brown and the cheese melts, pressing down with a metal spatula or grill press, about 4 minutes per side.

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.

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 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.

SPINACH PINWHEELS WITH FONTINA CHEESE (PUFF PASTRY)

Steps:

• Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain well. (I usually skip this step and add the spinach in to sauté after the onion has softened).
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Melt butter in skillet. Add chopped onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened. Remove from heat and add add spinach, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Cool. Mix in mustard and cheese. (I put in fontina and parmesan at this step).
• While spinach is cooling, take pastry out of package and let defrost.
• Lay pastry out on lightly floured board. Gently roll out dough, then cut lengthwise into 5 X 11-inch sections.
• Divide spinach mixture into fourths and spread to the edges of the pastry.
• Starting at the long ends, roll up the dough encasing spinach mixture.
• Using serrated knife, cut into 1/2 inch slices.
• (If baking immediately, lay on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten slightly.
• Brush slices lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes on one side. Turn over and bake for 5 minutes more.
• Remove from oven and let cool slightly on rack before serving.
• To freeze: Proceed through step 8. Place on baking sheet in freezer until firm. Remove pinwheels and place in freezer bag. These will keep for a couple of weeks.
• When ready to serve, brush frozen pinwheels with egg wash, sprinkle with Parmesan, and proceed as in step 11 baking for an extra 5 minutes.

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.