Ina's Spinach in Puff Pastry



Some days I have cravings for spinach, it's a weird thing. Especially after a night of too much alcohol, it seems my body craves iron.

This was a perfect New Year's Day remedy and great for brunch. It's sort of like a spanakopita without the phyllo dough. (and there's that frozen puff pastry again.......)

Ina calls for Gruyere cheese, but I felt like a nice salty bite of feta, so I made it Greek.

You can call it a strudel if you want, I won't tell anyone.

This makes one huge log, so if you are only having 4 people, then cut the recipe in half and only use 1 sheet of puff pastry, like I did here.

Spinach in Puff Pastry (adapted from Barefoot in Paris):

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 onions, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped garlic, (3 cloves)
2 (10-oz) boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1/3 cup scallions, chopped, white & green parts (2 scallions)
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (I used feta)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 sheets (1 box)frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Heat butter in saute pan and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 5-7 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 pine nuts. 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 2nd sheet of pastry on a floured board until it’s an inch larger in each direction. Place the 2nd 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.



Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned.

Transfer to a cutting board and serve hot.



This can be assembled a day in advance, refrigerated, and baked before serving.



Enjoy!

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Comments

wow this looks so so good.
Regards
olga.
Claudia said…
It's so nice to see something fairly healthy again...
Anonymous said…
May we please have the specs on your gorgeous speckled mixing bowl, Ms. Snacks?
Stacey Snacks said…
The specs on the specks:

The mixing bowl is called Boontonware, and is Melmac (a type of plastic) made in Boonton NJ!
That's a pretty little package all wrapped up. I'll have to hold off on this one for now, puff pastry is not on my detox list. Wish me luck!
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Looks like a perfect treat for my Italian chit-chat group and the fact that I can assemble ahead of time is a bonus.
Dana said…
That is so pretty! I'm toying with making a spanikopita type thing for our next yoga retreat and I'm tempted to do this instead. I think the healthy yogis might revolt though if I use puff pastry. Happy new Year!
Joanne said…
I definitely get spinach cravings also...in fact, I think I ate it every day this week. I would have been much more content with it if it had been surrounded by puff pastry and feta cheese, though!
Eileen said…
Wishing you the best in this new year! Keep these fabulous recipes coming!
Carole said…
Thanks, Stacey. I hope to try this this weekend.

Happy New Year!
I could have this right now . . . but I'll wait til the weekend and take it to a football party. Can't wait.
Beth said…
I have made this before and it is wonderful -- Feta is a great idea too!
Looks really good and I love the speckled bowl in the photo.
Looks really good and I love the speckled bowl in the photo.
Mila said…
I love this! So many ideas come crashing into my head after seeing this! I am going to make a Georgian version of this dish! Thanks so much for sharing and the beautiful pictures!
Oui, Chef said…
Looks lovely, and I must say that Ina's stuff is pretty much bullet-proof, and oh so good. Happy New Year!