I probably should have planned a dish that was not so involved for dinner tonight, but I went ahead with these Spinach and Kale Turnovers anyway. Once I got into the groove, it didn't take as long as I feared! The original recipe called for a canned dinner roll dough, but I went ahead and whipped up a slightly smaller batch of our favorite Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough to use instead as it comes together in a snap.
While we waited on the dough to rise, I busied myself with the filling which is simply sautéed onions, garlic, chopped kale and tender baby spinach. The obligatory seasonings of salt and fresh ground black pepper are added, but an unusual pinch of fresh grated nutmeg brought just a subtle touch to heighten the fillings flavor. After a few minutes off-heat to cool slightly, a heaping mound of salty feta is added to round out the filling. The dough is equally divided and rolled out into small circles - the greens are then piled on and the dough is folded over to create the turnover. You could just crimp the edges with a fork if desired, but we gave them a thick ridge around the outside by folding the bottom piece of the dough over the top lip and sealing them together. The stuffed turnovers are finally spritzed with a bit of olive oil and showered with nutty Parmesan cheese before going into the oven. Now, these are fairly small, so we had a couple of them for a main dish - but you could also serve one of these as a side to another dish. I'm betting these will freeze quite well and should re-heat nicely for a quick weeknight meal or a light lunch!
Feta! That's what I was looking for! I made spinach turnovers myself just a few weeks ago and I went with ricotta, which worked out fine...but I think I want to redo them with feta next time. I also like the idea of combining kale with the spinach. Sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThese look great as do most of the dishes. I can't say enough about the pizza dough recipe. I'm so glad you posted it. I now prefer it to any commercial crust! The only changes I make are to use honey instead of sugar and sometimes toss in a little oregano, basil or crushed red pepper depending on the toppings. I kind of enjoy watching people's faces once they find out they are eating whole wheat too!
ReplyDeleteDinner looks really good tonight. Are you making a special treat for Valentine?
ReplyDeleteI always get so hungry looking at your blog... but i can't stop! I bet these would be devine with goat cheese too. Really need to try that whole wheat pizza dough soon!
ReplyDeleteThese look so delicious! I haven't made pizza dough at home figuring it would take forever. I may have to give yours a try, is it difficult to roll out? My husband has purchased dough from the grocery and it seems to be really difficult to work with and we end up with odd shaped pizzas!
ReplyDeleteThat looks really tasty! I would probably add some goat cheese into the mix because I'm a sucker for the stuff.
ReplyDeletethis sounds really yummy, easy, but looks difficult - my favorite combination!
ReplyDeleteI'll get on this for lunch in a couple days. thanks for the great recipe - i'm excited to have just picked up some excellent sheep's milk feta. :)
Mmmm...I love kale! This sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteCourtney
Paninikathy - Feta worked quite well with these!
ReplyDeleteJeremy - I agree... the dough is just so easy to throw together and tastes great!
Helene - Maybe!
TTFN - Do give the dough a try... it is worth it!
Patsyk - I don't find it difficult at all! If you see it trying to stretch back, just set it aside and let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes.
Mike - I bet that would be a fine addition!
Randi - I hope you like them!
Courtney - We've only come to love kale in the past couple of years... it is delicious!
I totally agree with Jeremy about the pizza dough. Even when I get the simple recipe magazines I sub any premade/refridgerated crust with your pizza dough recipe.
ReplyDeleteGoing to have to try this one out soon.