Have you ever racked your brain for what to bring to a dinner or cocktail party? The host is an amazing baker so you know dessert will be covered. Her husband works for a wine company, so they always have the best bottles. A homemade floral arrangement is always a good idea, or a great platter from Home Goods. Orrrrrrrr. These Spinach Puffs.
The perfect bite.
Have you have tried Spanakopita? It’s a Greek dish, with a crispy crust and a salty, spinach filling. It has dill and feta cheese, and it is just so damn tasty. This is very similar – the main different is that I use puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is super crispy and crunchy. You hear that crunch as you bite into it. I use puff pastry to make it a little lighter (and less of a mess!). I also add shredded mozzarella, which typically only feta is included. But I’m Italian…..have to add mozzarella anywhere I can!
One of the most important parts of this recipe, besides the spinach, IMO, is dill. I know, you’re like what?! Dill is *such* an underrated herb if you ask me. I love to add it to any cold salad (potato, pasta, or egg) to give it that extra pop of flavor. It’s necessary for pickling anything, and for making dill pickles (which let’s be honest, are the only kind in my book). You can add it to greek yogurt or sour cream with other fresh herbs for a homemade ranch, veggie dip or spread. I’ve been wanting to make my own gravlax (which is cured salmon, similar to smoked, except….not smoked) and can you guess what you cure it with? Yes, DILL. OK OK I’m done. But I promise, if you haven’t experimented with this herb yet, buy it next time you’re at the grocery store and let me know what you think!
Frozen vs. Fresh
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, I’m more of a fresh-ingredient-kind-of-girl. However, there is pretty much one exception that I think frozen is perfectly acceptable, if not what I tend to use on a daily basis. And that’s frozen spinach (oh wait, maybe two…PEAS being the other).
Of course, you need fresh when you’re making a spinach salad, but pretty much any other time, frozen is perfectly fine. It’s also just easier to gage. You know that feeling all too well when you think you have 10 cups of fresh spinach, and then you go to cook it, and it wilts down to 3 tablespoons. With a box of spinach, you know you’re getting a solid 10 oz (or however big the box is). The *only* thing you need to remember is that frozen spinach contains a ton of water. You need to squeeze out all the H20 in order to prevent any sogginess in whatever you are making.
Become the MVP of the party
Yeah a platter is niceeeee, but nothing is better than a homemade dish. It shows someone that you cared enough to take the time to make something from start to finish. These little spinach puffs will be the hit of the party!
Spinach Puffs
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cupcake pan
Ingredients
- 1 10 oz box of frozen spinach thawed
- 1 sheet of puff pastry thawed
- ½ cup of feta cheese
- ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Nice handful of dill finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 eggs
- Non-stick spray
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spray your cupcake pan with the non-stick spray.
- Ring out your spinach. In order to prevent a soggy filling, we need to remove all water that the spinach has retained. Using a clean kitchen towel or layered paper towels, tightly ring out the thawed spinach over a bowl, squeezing as much water out as possible. You should get at least 1/2 cup of water out of the spinach.
- Once you have a ball of dry spinach, transfer to a large bowl. Add the feta, mozzarella, garlic and onion powder, dill, nutmeg, olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste the filling to make sure the seasoning is up to par. Add more salt and pepper if you’d like. Once the filling tastes good to you, beat one of the eggs, add in and combine until all ingredients have come together. Set the filling aside.
- Unfold your puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out your dough about the size of your cutting board (about 14”x 10”). Cut 12 equal squares by cutting in half first, then cut those halves in half again. Turn your rectangle the other way, and cut two lines, creating equal squares.
- Take each rectangle, and gently pull each one, to stretch it out a little bit. They can tear very easily, so be careful. Once each square is slightly stretched, press into the bottom and up the sides of the cupcake pan, leaving corners pointing up.
- Divide the filling equally among the squares. Fold each corner into the middle, pressing together slightly. Beat the other egg in a bowl, and brush all of the puffs with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the dough is puffed and brown, and the filling is cooked through. Remove from the oven, and using a knife or off-set spatula, transfer the puffs to a cooling rack.
