Spinach Puff Food

CHEESE AND SPINACH PUFF PASTRY POCKETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen pastry shells on the baking sheet and bake until they puff and become golden brown, about 20 minutes. Using a small knife, cut out the center of the pastry shells.
• Meanwhile, stir the cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the spinach, Fontina cheese, Parmesan, and green onions. Spoon the spinach mixture into the baked pastry shells. Bake until the pastries are golden brown and the filling is hot, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pastries to a platter and serve.

SPINACH & RICOTTA SLICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt half the butter with the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 mins until softened. Remove to a bowl.
• Add a few handfuls of spinach to the pan and cook for a few mins until it has wilted down. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander. Repeat until all the spinach is cooked. Press with the back of a spoon to remove any excess liquid. Now roughly chop and tip into the bowl with the onion. Stir in the nutmeg, ricotta, egg yolks, Parmesan and some seasoning and mix well.
• Roll out one pack of pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 25 x 30cm rectangle, then lay on a large baking sheet. With the longest side facing you, pack the spinach mixture down the middle of the pastry, leaving a 5cm border all the way around. Brush the pastry all the way round with some beaten egg.
• Roll out the second pack of pastry to a rectangle slightly larger than the first. Drape over the top and gently press down the edges to seal both pastry layers together. Trim the edges to neaten and crimp with your fingers, or seal down with a fork.
• Brush all over with beaten egg and, if you like, lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you don't cut all the way through. Bake for 40 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.

SPINACH ROLLS WITH PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook garlic until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes; season with salt and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and mix in feta cheese.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthwise. Roll 1 half out with a rolling pin so it is wide enough to fold twice lengthwise. Mix egg and milk together in a small bowl.
• Spread 1/6 of the spinach mixture lengthwise in the center of the puff pastry. Roll one side over the filling and brush the other side with egg-milk mixture. Roll over again to seal.
• Brush top of roll with egg-milk mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut roll into 6 small rolls. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry. Place cut rolls onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until spinach rolls are puffed up and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

SPINACH PUFFS

Steps:

• Using your hands, squeeze spinach until dry, forcing out as much water as possible (too much water will make for a soggy filling; you should have about 2/3 cup well-drained spinach). Mix spinach and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg to blend; fold into spinach mixture.
• Cut puff pastry into 3 equal strips. Reserve 1 strip for another use. Cut each remaining strip into 3 squares for a total of 6. Place a square in each muffin cup, pressing into bottom and up sides and leaving corners pointing up. Divide filling among cups. Fold pastry over filling, pressing corners together to meet in center. DO AHEAD: Spinach puffs can be assembled 3 hours ahead. Cover puffs and chill.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat remaining egg to blend in a small bowl. Brush pastry with egg wash (this will give the pastry a nice sheen). Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let puffs cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp paring knife around pan edges to loosen; turn out puffs onto rack to cool slightly before serving.

SPINACH-AND-CHEESE PUFF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 1-quart baking dish.
• In a large bowl, combine spinach, half-and-half, eggs, 1 cup Gruyere, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg; stir to combine. Spread evenly in prepared baking dish, and top with remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere. Bake until set and top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

SPINACH PUFFS

Steps:

• Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake bacon according to these directions for Baked Bacon. Let cool, then chop or crumble into bits. Spray 18 total cups in two standard muffin tins with nonstick spray.
• Meanwhile, place the cream cheese pieces in a wide microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10 second bursts until the cream cheese is very soft and melty but not so hot that it is steaming. Stir in 1 egg, garlic powder, black pepper, and oregano until well combined.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, feta, Parmesan, and chopped bacon with a fork, breaking apart the spinach. Scrape the cream cheese mixture on top of the spinach mixture, then stir the ingredients until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
• Unfold the first sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface and gently roll to remove any creases (it will be a 10- or 11-inch square). Cut the pastry sheet into 9 even squares (three squares across and three down-they will be a little more than 3 inches on each side). Line the wells of the muffin pan with the pastry squares so that the center is pressed on the bottom of the muffin cups and the corners over hang the sides (see photo in blog post above). If needed, stretch the squares to be a bit larger so that they extend all the way up the sides. With a spoon or small scoop like this one, portion the spinach filling by heaping tablespoons and place it in the center of each muffin cup, dividing it evenly among the 18 cups.
• Bring the four points of each puff pastry square together towards the center so that they cover the filling, then lightly press them together in the middle (no need for them to totally stick or seal). In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg to make an egg wash and brush it over the tops of the pastry (you will not need the whole egg).
• Bake the puffs, one muffin tin on each rack, for 21 to 24 minutes, until puffy and deeply golden, switching the pans' position on the upper and lower racks halfway through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife carefully around the edges to gently loosen them. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPINACH PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Unfold puff pastry; cut each sheet into 12 sections. Place in greased mini muffin cups, pressing gently onto bottoms and up sides, allowing corners to point up., In a large bowl, stir together spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella, feta, 1 egg, garlic, pepper and salt. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each cup. Bring pastry corners together and pinch to seal. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg. Brush over pastry edges. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

SPINACH IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375*F.
• Saute onions in butter over medium low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until tender.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a bowl.
• Add the onion mixture, scallions, Gruyere, Parmesan, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and pinenuts.
• Mix well.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold one sheet of puff pastry and place it on the paper.
• Spread the spinach mixture in the middle of the pastry, leaving a 1 inch border.
• Brush the border with the egg wash.
• Roll out the second piece of puff pastry on a floured board until it's an inch larger in each direction.
• Place the second sheet of pastry over the spinach and seal the edges, crimping them with a fork.
• Brush the top with egg wash, but don't let it drip down the sides or the pastry won't rise.
• Make three smallslits in the pastry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned.
• Transfer to a cutting board and serve hot!

SPINACH PUFF

Steps:

• Cook spinach according to package directions, adding onion to the pan as spinach cooks.
• Drain well. Fold in the eggs and sour cream. Blend in the Parmesan cheese and flour. Stir in the butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Turn into a well buttered 1-quart casserole or soufflé dish.
• Bake at 350°for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set.
• Serving suggestions: baked ham, tomatoes vinaigrette, and French bread.

SPINACH AND FETA PUFF PASTRY APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Using a cheesecloth, squeeze as much water out as possible of both the spinach and chopped artichokes.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine spinach, artichokes, onions, cheeses, salt/pepper, garlic, butter and 2 beaten eggs.
• Roll each sheet of puff pastry out (separately) to 10 x 10 inches. Using a pizza cutter, divide each sheet of the puff pastry into 9 equal squares giving a total of 27.
• Spray your mini muffin tins with Pam spray. Press each puff pastry square into the bottom and sides of the muffin tins. Place a heaping tablespoon of the spinach mixture into the square. Bring each corner up and twist to seal.
• Brush the additional beaten egg onto each spinach cup.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve either warm or room temperature.

SPINACH IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the butter in a saute pan and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a bowl. Add the onion mixture, scallions, Gruyere, Parmesan, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and pignolis. Mix well.
• Unfold one sheet of puff pastry and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the spinach mixture in the middle of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with the egg wash. Roll out the second piece of puff pastry on a floured board until it's an inch larger in each direction. Place the second sheet of pastry over the spinach and seal the edges, crimping them with a fork. Brush the top with egg wash but don't let it drip down the sides or the pastry won't rise. Make three small slits in the pastry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned. Transfer to a cutting board and serve hot.

SPINACH PUFF PASTRY QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll puff pastry to 11-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch diameter glass pie plate. Trim edges. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in half and half and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.