Feta Date Spinach Pastries Recipes

SPINACH & FETA PASTRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Put the mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave one minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds. Stir. At this point, all the cheese should be melted. Microwave 30 more seconds until uniform and gloopy (it should look like cheese fondue at this point). Add the rest of the dough ingredients and the cheese to a food processor. Mix using the dough blade until a uniform color. If you do not have a food processor you can mix in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon but you may need to dump it onto wax paper and knead it by hand to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients.
• Stir together the ingredients for the filling. Set aside the egg yolk to brush on the pastries.
• Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper into a 6 x 18 inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter. Put the filling down the center of one piece. Top with the other piece of dough. Use the pizza cutter to cut into 7 or 8 pieces. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
• Gently press the edges together on two opposing sides of each pastry. Use a kitchen shears or small knife to make a few slits in the top dough. Brush with the egg yolk. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

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 AND FETA PUFF PASTRY BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Thaw frozen spinach in microwave according to package directions or by running under warm water. Drain spinach, squeezing the excess liquid from it. In a bowl, mix the spinach, feta, garlic, pepper, and nutmeg together.
• Flour a clean, dry countertop or other flat working surface. Lay out the puff pasty on the floured surface. Flour the top of the dough. Roll out the puff pastry until it is half as thick (about 1/8-inch) and about 24 by 12 inches. Trim edges to size if necessary. Cut into 3-inch strips crosswise and lengthwise, making 32 (3-inch) squares. Make sure the squares are well floured then stack them in a little pile.
• Fill a little dish with some room temperature water. Imagine each square you work with is separated in half by a diagonal. Place a couple teaspoons of filling in the top half. Dip a finger into the water and moisten the edges of the top half with water. Fold the bottom half to meet the edges of the top half. Use a fork to seal the edges.
• Place finished pockets on a nonstick baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Serve warm.

FETA, DATE & SPINACH PASTRIES

Steps:

• Put the spinach in a pan with 2 tbsp water over a low-medium heat and cover. Stir the spinach a couple of times until wilted, about 4 mins, then drain. When cool enough to handle, firmly squeeze the excess water from the spinach with your hands, then roughly chop.
• Heat 10g of the butter and all of the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium-low heat until pale and softened. Add the drained spinach and garlic, season and cook for about 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool.
• Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl, then mix in the spring onions, dates, parsley, mint, pine nuts, feta and egg. Season.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Unroll the filo pastry and cut it into strips 9-10cm wide. Melt the rest of the butter, then brush one strip with some of it before putting another strip on top and brushing that too. Keep the remaining pastry covered with a tea towel as you work. Put two heaped teaspoonfuls of the filling at the end of the strip nearest to you. Fold the bottom corner of the pastry diagonally over the filling, so that what was the bottom edge now meets the right-hand edge of the pastry. Fold over the filled triangle and keep going like this with the whole strip, brushing with butter as you go, until you have a neat triangular filo package. Repeat the process with all the pastry and filling. Brush the top of each one with butter, then put onto baking sheets. Sprinkle with the black sesame seeds and bake for 25-30 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown.

SPINACH AND FETA RUGELACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Set the frozen spinach out on a plate at room temperature to soften slightly.
• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and a few turns of black pepper and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute. Add the flour and stir to combine, then stir in the spinach and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and the mixture is combined. Stir in the feta, heavy cream, lemon juice and hot sauce, then remove it from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
• Roll out half of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it is a large round, about 1/4 inch thick. (If using store-bought pre-rolled dough, simply unroll it onto your surface.) Spread on half the spinach mixture in an even layer so that it covers the dough. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough like a pizza into 8 triangular wedges. Roll up each section starting at the wide end. Transfer the rugelach to the lined baking sheets, placing them 1 inch apart. Repeat with the other half of the dough and spinach filling.
• Lightly brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and enjoy. Store leftovers in the fridge and reheat in a toaster oven.

SPINACH-AND-FETA PATTIES

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large skillet or saucepan. Add spinach, cover, and cook until wilted and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much moisture as possible with your hands (or use a ricer to press out excess). Coarsely chop spinach and transfer to a large bowl.
• Heat oil in a medium heavy-bottomed skillet, such as cast iron, over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but no color has developed, about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with spinach and let cool completely.
• Stir in flour, egg, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold in feta. Form mixture into golf-ball-size rounds, then flatten slightly into 1-inch-thick patties. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or, loosely covered, up to 1 day.
• Pour a scant 1/2 inch oil into skillet. Heat over medium until oil shimmers and bubbles form instantly around a breadcrumb dropped in (350°F on a deep-fry thermometer). Working in batches, fry, flipping once and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a level temperature, until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Drain on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; keep warm in a preheated 200°F oven while frying the rest. Serve warm, with dipping sauces.

SPINACH AND FETA BOUREKAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach, shallots, and garlic; cook and stir until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat; strain off any excess water. Stir in salt and pepper, set aside to cool to room temperature., On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Cut each sheet into 4 squares. In a small bowl, combine feta and ricotta; stir in spinach mixture. Spoon cheese mixture diagonally over half of each square to within 1/2 in. of edges. Brush pastry edges with egg. Fold one corner over filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle; press edges with a fork to seal. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush remaining egg over pastries; sprinkle with seasoning blend. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.