Spinach and Carrot Purées

Wow, what a wild and weird winter it has been. Contrary to popular belief, I did not die, nor did I lose my favorite limbs (ahem, my legs) in a terrible sea accident, or get swallowed whole by one of my school instructors.

That last one almost happened though.

Truth is, I've been busy. Really fucking busy. Can I say fucking here? I think I just did. I finally set aside some time this morning to make two wondrous Moosewood recipes: Spinach and Carrot Purées. Previously, I have made beet purée and red pepper purée. Both were marvelous. If I really had my life together, I could have made all four of these purées at once, and lined them all up. Deep purple, bright red, spring green, and sassy orange. Granted, that'd only really be good for the photo opportunity and the four fresh purées would likely go bad in the refrigerator. It's a glamorous fact of food blogging, folks!


Let's hop to it. Isn't it fascinating how a giant handful of spinach cooks down to nearly nothing? I think so. After cooking the spinach on the stove, I whirled it up in the food processor with some cold, filtered water.

I added some garlic, salt, and pepper to it. And that was it!  Spinach purée!

Next up: carrot purée. This one required some roasting time in the oven for the carrots. While they roasted, I put the other ingredients in the food processor: garlic, dill, cumin, and a little lemon juice.  After they came out of the oven, the carrots cooled on my cutting board. 

Whenever given the opportunity, my friends, we must play with our food.

Why the face?!

The carrots got whirred around with a squeeze of fresh orange juice too. Simply magical.

I think you'll really enjoy these vegetable purées. I'm planning to use them on all sorts of things: baked potatoes, fresh steamed veggies ... maybe I'll even dip a cracker or two in these fancy mashers. 

It's gonna get wild around here.

Swiss Cheese and Onion Soup

Swiss Cheese and Onion Soup is a very simple soup recipe that made me feel very accomplished after making it.  It's so creamy, so thick, and seems so complicated.  But it's not!  I actually amended this recipe by adding broccoli and spinach. I was so glad I did.  Charlie said that without these additions, this soup would have been "too white and rich." HA!  That's a fact, folks.

To start, I softened onions on the stove with garlic, salt, and dry mustard.

The broccoli went in.

The spinach went in.  Get in there!

The secret ingredients: horseradish and Marsala wine. The recipe actually calls for sherry, but my cupboard was bare, so Marsala it was. Marsala is so fragrant. It makes me fall in love with food every time it's aroma fills my kitchen!

Charlie shredded the Swiss cheese. He's an angel. A cheese angel.

After adding the cheese and stirring the soup, dinner was served!  And look who decide to show up, an old friend!

Spanakopita

Spankakopita involves three really lovely ingredients: spinach, feta cheese, and phyllo pastry. Each one shares the spotlight splendidly in this crispy green entree.

I started by defrosting my phyllo pastry. I don't recommended unrolling before it has fully defrosted it like I did. It'll crumple and make you grumpy for at least a half an hour.

Here's my attempt at a Pioneer Woman style photo of the onions, basil and oregano, which turned out blurry and terrible:

There was a lot of spinach to chop:

And add to the pan:

Next, assembling the spanakopita! Sheets of phyllo, a little dish of oil, the spinach and feta cheese filling, and a nice pan:

I cut the spanakopita into squares (err ... rectangles) before baking it.

The result was a delicious dinner! Next time I will use a little less feta, as I think it was overpowering. I might use more spinach too, because spinach is just so gosh darned good!

I'd been saving this recipe for a special dinner with friends ... but wouldn't you know it, those plans fell through. Life seems to be throwing some serious curve balls lately in the form of school stress, car troubles, and another cycle of nomadic living. It sure is comforting to know that I can rely on cooking as a consistent partner and source of joy and satisfaction.

Spinach-Rice Casserole

Spinach-Rice Casserole contains a pound of spinach (I halved the recipe) which you steam down to nearly nothing. It's amazing to watch this giant leafy green mound melt into a little sopping wet heap. The spinach is then mixed with brown rice, onion, garlic, sunflower seeds, a milky egg mixture, spices, and some grated cheddar cheese. Really filling and absolutely delicious. I was so pleased with how this recipe turned out!

Cream of Spinach Soup

This Cream of Spinach Soup was bright green and flavorful. It was a little lumpy but the outstanding flavor was a helpful distraction. The soup is made from onion, potato, fresh spinach, salt, a small amount of butter/flour/milk sauce, and a dusting of white pepper and nutmeg on top.

Spinach Ricotta Pie

I made Spinach Ricotta Pie for a Super Bowl Party. Creating and assembling the pie crust a day in advance was a time saver. The filling has fresh spinach, ricotta, sharp cheddar cheese, onion, spices, and Sunday morning sleepies in it. Sour cream and a little paprika were spread on top right before baking. The pie was rich and creamy and was a wonderful accompaniment to my vodka cocktail. Go football teams!

Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling

Last week, Charlie and I made Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling. The crust was crunchy and light and the filling was perfectly cheesy and full of leafy spinach flavor. Calzones are a labor intensive endeavor but being able to eat the finished product is particularly fulfilling reward.

We started by making Moosewood's basic calzone dough. It was simple enough: yeast, a little sugar, water, salt, and flour. The dough had to rise for about an hour and during that time we prepared the filling. Onions, garlic, spinach (We used chopped frozen, which was thawed and pressed dry on paper towels), spices, and lots of salt and pepper came together on the stove. We then mixed this with ricotta, mozarella, and parmesan cheeses. Next, we assembled! To start, Charlie rolled out the dough.Then we filled each circle of dough with spinachy cheesy goodness. Crimping the edges and getting each pocket to stay sealed was a little challenging and the oven got a liiiiiittle smokey in the final moments of baking... but overall, we did well!Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling, a little marinara sauce for dipping, apple slices, and a fresh green salad. Perfect!