SPINACH CHEESE SQUARES

Amarante

Tue, Mar 21 2017, 7:31 am

SPINACH CHEESE SQUARES

As the recipe says, these can be served warm, hot or cold and are very good as a dairy snack, appetizer or augmented with sides as a light lunch or for brunch

These freeze well so can be made well ahead.

Excerpt From: Cohen, Jayne - Around the Shabbat Table

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Mediterranean Jews so adore fresh spinach that little mountains of the leftover emerald “tails” are a hallmark of their holiday cooking. Called ravikos by Sephardim and testine di spinaci by Italian Jews, these stems are slow-braised until they turn almost red. They are usually served Thursday nights, when it is customary to eat lightly in preparation for the next day’s feasting, and a large stockpile of them has accumulated from the Sabbath preparations.

The leaves often end up in light, eggy vegetable gratins, a Sephardi specialty, especially popular at the desayuno, a festive brunch served after morning services on Sabbath and holidays.

Notwithstanding spinach’s bad rap, even kids seem to love these crustless, cheesy squares, here freshened up with plenty of green herbs. Good hot, warm, or at room temperature, they make a fine lunch, brunch, or light supper. Or cut them into bite-size pieces for a marvelous hors d’oeuvre. They freeze beautifully.

2 pounds fresh spinach or two 10-ounce packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional butter (or oil) for greasing the pan
1⁄2 cup chopped shallots or 1 cup chopped onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese (1⁄2 cup), softened
4 ounces of crumbled feta (1 cup; break it up well using your fingers
1⁄2 pound farmer cheese (7.5 ounce package is fine)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons dried oregano or mint
3⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1⁄2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons matzoh meal
3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar or grated Parmesan cheese
3 to 4 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

IF using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly to remove all traces of sand. Cut off any tough stems and discard them. Place the spinach with just the water that clings to its leaves in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 8 minutes.

PLACE the cooked fresh or the thawed frozen spinach in a colander and, with your hands or the back of a spoon, press out as much liquid as possible. It should be rather dry. Chop the spinach fine.

MELT the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots or onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is tender and the butter is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt (just a bit—remember that the cheeses can be rather salty) and pepper. Set aside to cool.

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

COMBINE the cream cheese, feta, and farmer cheese in a food processor and blend well. Break the eggs into a glass measuring cup with a pouring spout. With the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time, through the feed tube, and process until smooth. Crumble in the oregano or mint. Add the spinach mixture, dill, and parsley, and pulse about 15 seconds to combine well; do not puree.

GREASE a 13 by 9-inch baking pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with the matzoh meal. Pour the spinach batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the Cheddar or Parmesan, scatter the pine nuts over evenly, if using, and bake for about 40 minutes, until lightly golden and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. It should feel slightly firm, but it will not set until it has cooled for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm (reheat if necessary) or at room temperature, cut into squares.

COOK’S NOTE: Beautifully fresh Swiss chard is increasingly available in markets these days. It is much easier to clean than spinach, and I find its sweet yet distinctively earthy green leaves make an excellent substitute in this recipe.

Cheeses can be varied; experiment with some of your favorites, using a mixture of mild (Jarlsberg, Gruyère, Muenster, cottage cheese) and sharp (Kasseri, kashkaval, Cheddar, Parmesan)