Grilled Cheese With Spinach And Pancetta Food

SMOKED SCAMORZA, SPINACH AND PANCETTA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place a rack on the highest level and leave space on the bottom of the oven for easy access.
• Place the pancetta in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until crispy, about 8 minutes. Drain half of the fat. Add the spinach and turn off the heat. Stir until the spinach wilts. Set aside.
• Dust an upside-down rimmed baking sheet with the flour. Gently stretch the pizza dough and place on the dusted tray. Continue to stretch out to 1/4-inch thick leaving it a little thicker around the edges. Sprinkle the dough with half of the cheese. Spoon the spinach mixture over the cheese layer and top with the remaining cheese. Place the sheet tray directly on the bottom of the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Move the tray to the top shelf and finish cooking until golden brown and the crust is cooked, 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Crack the eggs in the oil and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Top the pizza with the eggs and serve.

SPINACH AND PANCETTA STRATA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl. Add the onion to the pan drippings in the same skillet and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic. Saute over medium-low heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, nutmeg, and the cooked pancetta.
• Place half of the bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread, then top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layering.
• Whisk the milk, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata. Chill the strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH RICOTTA GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, spinach and scant 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute until the spinach has completely wilted. Transfer the spinach to a strainer set over a bowl. Cool to room temperature. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Roughly chop the spinach and add it to a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
• Lay the sliced bread on a clean work surface. Coat the top of each slice with butter. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Lay 4 of the slices in the skillet, butter-side down. Scoop about 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture onto each slice. Spread the mixture evenly to cover the whole slice, then top with the other slices of bread, butter-side up. Cook until the first side is golden and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip the sandwiches and cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melty, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the sandwiches to a clean work surface and let them cool for 1 minute before slicing.

SHELLS WITH CRISPY PANCETTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the shells:
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
• Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.
• For the sauce:
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

WARM PANCETTA, GOAT CHEESE AND SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• Put the spinach in a large bowl. Crumble the cheese over the spinach. Cook the pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pancetta in a sieve set over a heatproof measuring cup, reserving the rendered fat. You will need 1/4 cup for the dressing. If necessary, add enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup. Pour the fat back into the pan and add the pancetta. When the pancetta is warm again, add the garlic and cook until light brown, about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme and let it crackle in the fat for about 10 seconds. Add the vinegar, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for about 30 seconds to lower the acidity of the vinegar. You should see tiny drops of vinegar dispersed throughout the fat. Add the dried cranberries and stir. Pour the dressing over the spinach and cheese. Toss to coat the leaves evenly and melt the cheese a little. Serve immediately.

SAUTEED SPINACH WITH CRISP PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium. Add pancetta; cook until crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate; reserve fat in skillet.
• Add as much spinach as will fit in skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing spinach and adding more as it wilts. Continue to cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour off excess liquid; stir in lemon juice. Top with pancetta.

GRILLED CHEESE WITH SPINACH & TOMATO

Steps:

• spray frying pan with cooking spray.
• Turn stove on to medium heat, and add tomatoes to outside edges of pan, and add spinach to center.
• Sprinkle salt and garlic over the vegetables.
• Toss spinach frequently, and turn tomatoes over after a minute or so.
• cook tomato just until it gets a little soft, but do not wait until it gets mushy.
• Cook spinach until slightly wilted.
• Take both out when they are done and set aside.
• Wipe pan out with towel, and heat on medium.
• Butter one piece of bread as you would for a regular grilled cheese sandwich.
• Put bread in pan, and place cheese on top and then place spinach and tomato on top of the cheese.
• Allow to heat.
• Butter the other piece of bread, and fry sandwich until nicely browned on both sides.
• Remove and Serve!

SPINACH WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• Rinse the spinach well and drain it. Remove tough stems, center membranes and blemished leaves. There should be about 10 cups reasonably well-packed. Break the spinach into two-inch pieces
• Heat the pancetta in a skillet and cook until rendered of fat.
• Cut the onion into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise into the thinnest possible slices. Add the onion pieces to the pancetta in the skillet. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until it is wilted. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice and cook about one minute. Serve immediately.

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat skillet over medium heat. Generously butter one side of a slice of bread. Place bread butter-side-down onto skillet bottom and add 1 slice of cheese. Butter a second slice of bread on one side and place butter-side-up on top of sandwich. Grill until lightly browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining 2 slices of bread, butter and slice of cheese.