Spinach and Raw Cheddar Turnovers
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- 10-12 ounce Organic Valley Raw Cheddar (mild or sharp)
- 2 large Organic Valley eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces Organic Valley European Style Cultured Butter
- 1 pound phyllo dough, thawed 24 hours in the refrigerator
In this recipe, butter-brushed layers of paper-thin phyllo pastry are filled with spinach and cheese, then baked until the turnovers are shatteringly crisp and the cheese oozes inside.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
If you haven’t worked with phyllo dough before, know this: It dries out very, very quickly. To keep it supple, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator and don’t open the package until just before you’re ready to work with it. Use a damp, wrung-out towel to keep it covered while you are preparing the pastries.
Directions
1. Make the filling: Cook the spinach with a little water in a big, covered pot, just until the spinach wilts. Drain it, rinse lightly and let it cool. Use your hands to squeeze out nearly all the liquid. Chop the spinach and put it in a bowl. Grate the cheddar on the large holes of a hand-held grater or in a food processor. Add cheddar, eggs, dill and pepper to the spinach and mix well.
2. Get equipment and ingredients ready: Melt butter. Assemble the following: pastry brush; sharp knife; a dampened, wrung-out cotton towel; one or two baking sheets (can be lined with parchment paper or not); the filling; melted butter; and phyllo dough.
3. Prepare the turnovers: Open the box of phyllo dough and carefully unfold the roll of dough onto a large work surface. You’ll be working in batches of 4 or 5 sheets of dough at a time; each batch will form four turnovers. The sheets are very delicate and may rip, but don’t be concerned—you are creating layers that will be folded up and the rips will be hidden. It’s good to work quickly, as the dough dries out very quickly, but you can also buy time by placing the wrung-out towel over the exposed stack of dough while you fold up each batch.
For each batch, pull off two sheets of the dough and place them with the long edges facing you on the work surface. Lightly brush the surface all over with butter (you don’t need to cover every inch, however). Pull off a third sheet, place over the others and brush again with butter. Do this once or twice more, for a total of four to five sheets.
Cut the brushed layers vertically into four wide, equal-sized strips. Place 2 or so heaping tablespoons of filling near the bottom of each strip. Now fold up each strip like a flag: starting at the bottom near the filling, fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle and continue to fold the triangle back and forth up the strip to end up with a filled turnover. Brush each turnover very lightly with butter and transfer it to a baking sheet.
Continue this process until all the filling is used up. At this point, they can be baked immediately, covered tightly and refrigerated, or frozen.
4. To bake: Heat oven to 375 degrees. If turnovers have been frozen, thaw them partially before baking. Bake turnovers until they are golden brown, 20-30 minutes.
Organic Valley Organic 1% Lowfat Single Serve Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 24)
Organic Valley Organic Whole Milk, 33.8 Ounce Asceptic Carton (Pack of 12)
Vanilla vanille Patchouli scented Shea Butter Provence soap 3.5 oz 100 gr
Organic Valley Organic 1% Lowfat Single Serve Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 24)
Organic Valley Organic Whole Milk, 33.8 Ounce Asceptic Carton (Pack of 12)
Vanilla vanille Patchouli scented Shea Butter Provence soap 3.5 oz 100 gr
Organic Soy-free Omega 3 Eggs (4 dozen)
MT OLIVE FRESH KOSHER DILLS
Simply Organic Pepper, Black Medium Grind Certified Organic, 2.31 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)
MT OLIVE FRESH KOSHER DILLS
Simply Organic Pepper, Black Medium Grind Certified Organic, 2.31 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)
Butter-Roasted Asparagus
- Prep time-10 Minutes
- Total Time-20-25
- Servings-3-4
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh organic asparagus, tough ends trimmed off
- 1-2 tablespoon Organic Valley Cultured Butter, melted ((or olive oil))
- 1⁄2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 cup Organic Valley Shredded Parmesan (or feta or blue cheese crumbles)
Asparagus is special almost any way you serve it—raw, steamed, sautéed, grilled—but if I could only have it one way, it would be roasted. Its natural sweetness is enhanced when you slick it with organic butter, sprinkle it with sea salt and pepper, and roast in the oven it at high, even heat. It makes a wonderful side dish just like that, or can be showered with the likes of good cheese and chopped tomatoes. Add Organic Prairie hardwood smoked ham or Organic Valley sunny-side-up eggs, and call it lunch or dinner.
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use your hands to spread the asparagus spears with melted butter or olive oil. Spread spears out on the baking sheet (try to avoid letting them touch each other). Sprinkle with quartered cherry tomatoes and season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Roast until asparagus is barely tender—this could take as little as 6-8 minutes if the spears are thin, or twice as long if they are thick. (Go ahead and taste one to be sure.) Transfer the spears to a platter, sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. (Alternatively, you can sprinkle the cheese on the spears while they’re still on the baking sheet, and then return them to the oven for a couple more minutes.)
Organic Valley Organic Buttermilk Blend, Powder Cultured, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4)
Organic Valley Organic 1% Lowfat Single Serve Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 24)
Organic Valley Organic Whole Milk, 33.8 Ounce Asceptic Carton (Pack of 12)
Vanilla vanille Patchouli scented Shea Butter Provence soap 3.5 oz 100 gr
Native Forest Green Asparagus Spears 15 oz. (Pack of 18)
Just Tomatoes Organic Just Cherries, 8 Ounce Tub
Organic Parmigiano Reggiano (300 gram) by igourmet.com
BLACK PEPPER GROUND FRESHLY PACKED IN LARGE JARS, spices, herbs, seasonings
Organic Valley Organic Buttermilk Blend, Powder Cultured, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4)
Organic Valley Organic 1% Lowfat Single Serve Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 24)
Organic Valley Organic Whole Milk, 33.8 Ounce Asceptic Carton (Pack of 12)
Vanilla vanille Patchouli scented Shea Butter Provence soap 3.5 oz 100 gr
Native Forest Green Asparagus Spears 15 oz. (Pack of 18)
Just Tomatoes Organic Just Cherries, 8 Ounce Tub
Organic Parmigiano Reggiano (300 gram) by igourmet.com
BLACK PEPPER GROUND FRESHLY PACKED IN LARGE JARS, spices, herbs, seasonings