Spinach Feta Cheese Frittata Bites ほうれん草とフェタチーズのフリッタータバイト

This is the third iteration of the small egg bites series my wife made. This time she used spinach and dill. She also reused a “feta cheese dip” which we initially made for another dish but didn’t use because we thought it was too strong by itself. This was quite a good bites. Hopefully we may derive some health benefit from the added veggie greens.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1 garlic  clove 
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 large package of  spinach, cooked without adding water, drained, finely chopped
Feta cheese dip*
1/2 log of goat cheese

*fetacheese dip
8 oz good-quality teta cheese (block form)
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients eggs through salt and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the feta cheese dip and the goat cheese until completely combined. Add the cooked spinach to the cheese dip and completely combine. Scoop the cheese mixture into mini muffin tins lined with paper cups. Do not fill completely. Gently pour the egg mixture over and around the cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the eggs are set (shown in picture)

These cheese bites were quite different from the other ones my wife made recently. The feta cheese dip by itself was quite strong flavored but the addition of the spinach and goat cheese really tamed it down making it pleasantly savory. The egg mixture essentially formed a shell around the cheese mixture (which can be clearly seen in the cross section picture). The dill really added a good additional flavor dimension.

Tomato-Spinach Roulade Bread トマトとほうれん草のルラード

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This is based on a recipe in the “Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook”. When I made “no-cook tomato sauce” and “marinara sauce” using “Cento San Marzano Tomatoes” for Neapolitan-ish pizza, we ended up with extra tomato sauce. Since the bread recipe called for canned Italian tomatoes and we had left over tomato sauce made with canned Italian tomatoes, my wife saw an opportunity and asked if she could use the left-over sauces. I, of course, said “By all means”.  This is a very complicated bread recipe and I would not even consider trying it but my wife is not deterred by complex baking recipes. In any case, the pic shows the bread she produced. This is a very soft tender bread with lots of flavors. The spinach and ricotta cheese spread does provide a nice color and texture contrast to the surrounding bread but it didn’t bring much additional flavor to the show. In my humble opinion, the bread could be made with the marinara as a simple loaf omitting the spinach spread, especially since this would make this bread much easier to make. (Wifey’s comment: In my humble opinion I agree.)

Here comes my wife to continue.

Ingredients: 
For Bread
14 ounces (half 28-ounce can) Italian plum tomatoes (We used the marinara sauce we made for pizza)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil (We didn’t include this)
1 tablespoon dried oregano  (We didn’t include this)
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (We didn’t include this)
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup grated Swiss, mozzarella, or Fontina cheese (We used mozzarella)
5 to 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For spread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach (We precooked the spinach)
½ cup Mascarpone or ricotta cheese (We used ricotta)
1 tablespoon Marsala
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
For bread 
In a saucepan sautee the onions and garlic. Purée the tomatoes with their liquid in a blender. Add to the onions and garlic, Stir in the sugar and salt. Then add the grated cheese and stir to mix and melt the cheese. If you are using them stir in the basil, oregano, and celery seed. (We just used the left-over marinara sauce we made for pizza. We used the same amount as the tomatoes called for in the original recipe.) Cool to room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the yeast and 3 cups of flour to start. With the machine running add the tomato mixture. Stir in enough additional flour, 1 cup at a time, to make a firm dough. Knead in the mixer for 7 to 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary (#1). 

Place the dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat with butter. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½ hours.

For the spread
While the dough is rising, melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in the spinach and cook 5 more minutes. (We precooked the spinach). Stir in the cheese, Marsala, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate covered until firm enough to spread.

Assembly:
Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Roll each half into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick and spread with the spinach filling (#2). Roll up each rectangle like a jelly roll (#3) and place on greased baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Bake until the loaves are lightly browned (#4) and sound hollow when lightly thumped, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.  
Turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.



The bread had a very soft tender texture. The flavor was very complex melding together all the flavors of the tomato/marinara sauce and cheeses. The filling made a nice texture contrast but despite the many varied flavors that went into it, particularly the marsala, their flavor didn’t really come through. It is a very unique (in a good way) bread.

Table of Contents 2026

January 2026
January 1     Happy New Year 2026 明けましておめでとうございます
January 2    “Ozoni” New Year’s Soup お雑煮 2026
January 5    Osechi from Sushi Taro 2026 すし太郎のお節
January 8    Chocolate Brownie Pudding チョコレートブラウニープディング
January 11    Japanese “Kabu” Turnip Simmered in Broth 蕪の煮物
January 14    Japanese Sweet potato Blini さつまいもビィリニ
January 17    Simmered “Satoimo” taro with squid 里芋とイカの煮物
January 19    Grilled Beef Tongue 牛タンの焼肉
January 20    Persimmon in Tofu Dressing 柿の白和え
January 23    Cauliflower-puree Blini カリフラワーピュレー　ビィリニ
January 25    Gingerbread Pancakes with Date Sauce ジンジャーブレッドパンケーキ
January 26    “Bento” Lunch Box 弁当
January 29    Chestnuts and Apple Blini 栗とリンゴ味のビリニ

February 2026
February 1    Warm sake on a cold night 寒夜の燗酒
February 4    Cranberry sauce muffins クランベリーソースマフィン
February 7    Appetizers; one with Shad Roe 酒のつまみ
February 10    Custardy Apple Cake カスタードアップルケーキ
February 13    Salted “Kabocha” 塩かぼちゃ
February 16    Fried “Renkon” Lotus Root with “Aonori” dried seaw...
February 19    Valentine‘s day sashimi dinner バレンタインデイ刺身ディナー
February 22    Valentine’s day cake バレンタインデイケーキ
February 25    Crispy Cheese Rice Puffs チーズライスパフ
February 28    Persimmon and “Kabu” turnip salad 柿と蕪のマリネ

March 2026
March 3    Peanut butter pancake ピーナッツバターパンケーキ
March 6    Cold Jade Eggplant in broth 茄子の翡翠煮
March 9    Cream Cheese Biscuits クリームチーズビスケット
March 12    Roasted Red Pepper Sauce V2 赤パプリカのソース
March 15    Pan-fried Oyster Mushroom 平茸の洋風ソテー
March 18    English Muffin Loaves イングリシュマフィンローフパン
March 21    Honey Oatmeal Roll 蜂蜜とオートミールのロールパン
March 24    Shrimp and Grits with Poached Egg 温玉のせ海老とグリィツ
March 27    Sweet potato gnocchi さつまいものニョキ
March 30    Japanese Fluffy “Soufflé” Pancake (version 2) 日本風フ...

April 2026
April 2    Hanami 2026 花見2026
April 5    Hanami 2026 #2 and #3 花見2026、二回目、三回目
April 8    Baked Spaghetti (angle hair) Cup with meatballs オー...
April 11   “Atsu-age “ Fried Tofu 厚揚げ
April 14    Mango Crumb Bars マンゴークラムバー
April 17    Vegetarian Buttermilk Cotta ベジタリアンバターミルクパナコタ
April 20    Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes 苺とクリームチーズのカップケーキ
April 23    Stir-steamed “Kimpira gobo” Burdock-root 蒸し炒め金平牛蒡
April 26    Mini Cheese Grits Casserole ミニグリッツキャセロール
April 29    Duck Leg Confit アヒルのもも肉のコンフィ

May 2026
May 2    Pan-fried Grits Cake フライパンで焼いたグリッツケーキ
May 5    Lemon Ricotta Cake レモン、リッコタチーズケーキ
May 8    Roasted Carrot Soup にんじんスープ
May 11    Shrimp and Scallop Rice Krispies Bites エビとホタテのライスク...
May 14    Rice Krispies Pancake ライスクリスピーパンケーキ
May 17    Walnut Cheddar Loaf くるみとチェダーチーズのローフ
May 20    Norwegian Lefse Flatbread ノルウェイのレフシイ フラットブレッド
May 23    Grape-puree Muffin ブドウのピューレのマフィン
May 26    Pork Vindaloo served in Soup Curry-style スープカレー風豚肉...
May 29    Honey Curry Bread 蜂蜜カレーパン

June 2026
June 1    Morning Glory Muffin 朝顔マフィン
June 4    Three Eel Dishes うなぎの蒲焼料理3種類
June 7    Meatloaf ミートローフ
June 10    Air Fried stuffed Chicken Wings エアーフライ手羽餃子
June 13    Air Fried Chicken Wings エアーフライ手羽
June 17    Air Fried Eggplant エアーフライ茄子
June 20    Grilled Tofu-puff with Egg Yolk Miso 柚子胡椒入り玉味噌の焼き油揚げ
June 23    Goat Cheese Popover ゴートチーズ　ポップオーバー

June 26    Sausage Encased in Cookie Dough (Full Moon Pastries)
June 29    Raspberry Muffin Bites ラズベリーマッフィンバイツ

July 2026
July 1    Raspberry Muffin Bites ラズベリーマッフィンバイツ
July 4    Salmon Pate サーモンパテ
July 7    Chicken Liver Cooked in Ketchup and Worcestershire...
July 10    Air Fried Zucchini エアーフライズッキニ
July 13    Garlic Chive and Cucumber Salad ニラとキュウリの和え物
July 16    Blueberry Cream Cheese on Blueberry Muffin ブルーベリーチ...
July 19    Neapolitan-ish pizza ナポリ風ピザ
July 22    Tomato-Spinach Roulade Bread トマトとほうれん草のルラード
July 25    Pork and Potato and Goat Cheese Bites ローストポーク、ポテト、...
July 28    Mashed Potato, Roasted Pork and Cheese Bites versi...
July 31    Spinach Feta Cheese Frittata Bites ほうれん草とフェタチーズのフリ...

August 2026
August 3    Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins サワークリーム、ブルーベリー、マッフィン
August 6    Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake いちごチーズケーキ
August 9     Blueberry Pudding Cake ブルーベリープディングケーキ
August 12    Air Fried Pork Tenderloin with Panko Crust エアーフライ...
August 25    Air-fried Spicy Tofu エアーフライピリ辛豆腐
August 28    Air-Fried Pork Tenderloin without Panko Crust エアー...

Spinach Soufflé (easy version) ほうれん草のスフレ

My wife is partial to spinach soufflé. Previously I made it the traditional way by separating the egg yolks and whites. Then making a béchamel sauce in which I put the egg yolks. The whites are whipped before being incorporated into the béchamel sauce too. Then we learned from Jacques Pepin that there are two simpler ways to make souffle. One is to just use a whole egg rather than separating it. The other was to make  a corn soufflé  without even making a béchamel by using fresh corn pure instead. Those two methods were much easier. Recently we tried a variation of another soufflé recipe from Pepin which he called (Maman’s cheese soufflé recipe). We saw the recipe presented on YouTube. Again we used whole eggs rather than separating the yolks and whites. Although we adopted the idea of using a whole egg in the souffle, we did not make Maman’s cheese souffle instead we tailored the recipe to make spinach souffle by adding spinach and onion. It did not rise as much as we expected but it was pretty good. We served it with roasted lamb with mushroom port wine sauce (picture #1).

We cooked it in small but deep ramekins (picture #2). If we used shallower and wider opening vessels like one used by Pepin, it may have risen more but this was just fine and tasted really great.

Again, we modified the recipe in several ways. One modification is that I used much less butter than is used in classic Béchamel sauce; in the classic the same amount of butter and flour is used. I add finely chopped onion and/or mushrooms in addition to the butter. The flour coats the surface of the fat covered onion and makes the resulting Béchame without lumps. This is not a precise recipe but just a note for myself.

Ingredients: (made two large ramekins full, 2 inches in diameter)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs Ap flour
1/2 cup or more milk
1/4 cup spinach, cooked and moisture squeezed, finely chopped (I cooked it without added water in a wok with a lid and then squeezed out any remaining moisture using a ricer).
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
3 large eggs, well beaten
Back pepper, salt and nutmeg for taste

Butter and grated parmesan cheese to lightly grease the ramekins.

Directions:
In a frying pan, melt the butter and cook the shallot for a few minutes, add the flour and mix for one minute after the dry flour disappears
Add cold milk at once and mix using a silicon spatula until well mixed and thickened. Add the cheese and mix (adjust the thickness by adding more milk)
Add the spinach and seasonings and let it cook for 5 minutes then add to the beaten eggs and mix.
Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins (70% full) (as per Pepin, this can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days before cooking).
Bake for 30-35 minutes in a preheated 375F oven (I used our toaster oven in convection mode).

It did not rise as much as our previous soufflé but it did rise and tasted great with good texture. This is much easier to make. My wife was quite satisfied with it.

Table of contents 2024

January 2024
January 1,    Happy New Year 2024 明けましておめでとう2024 
January 5,    Tomato and Egg Stir-fry with Wood Ear and Natto 納豆、トマト、木耳の卵炒め
January 22,   Goat Cheese Scallion Muffin ゴートチーズと青葱マフィン
January 25,   White "Pineberry" and Red "Koyo" Stawberries 白いイチゴと昂揚イチゴ
January 28,   Beef with Kon-nyaku and Vegetable "Kimpira" Stir Fry 牛肉と蒟蒻の金平

February 2024
February 3,     Chestnut Brown Butter, Sage Muffin 栗の粉とセイジマフィン
February 8,     Grated Lotus Root and Tofu Ball レンコン豆腐饅頭
February 11,    Sweet Onion Bread Pudding 玉ねぎのブレッドプデｨング
February 15,    Shad Roe from South Carolina 南カロライナからのシャドロウ
February 18,    Cranberry Camembert Cheese Bites クランベリーソース、カマンベールチーズ　バイツ
February 21,    Simmered Shad Roe with Vegetables シャドロウの煮付け
February 24,    Shad Roe Pasta  シャドロウパスタ
February 27,    Pickled Cucumber キュウリの漬物

March 2024
March 1,    “Maitake” Hen of the Woods Mushroom in Brown Butter and Sage 焦がしバターとセイジ風味舞茸
March 4,    Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs バーベキューベイビーバックリブ
March 7,    Salted Oatmeal Cookie 塩味オートミールクッキー
March 10,  Lobster Salad ロブスターサラダ
March13,    “Roman” Gnocchi ローマンニョキ
March 22,   Duck Tender Cutlet and Arancini 鴨ささ身のカツレツ
March 25,   Mary Walsh’s Currant Cake マリーウオルシュのカラントケーキ
March 28,   St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, Lamb Chops and Cabbage with bacon セントパトリックのディナー

April 2024
April 6,    Pumpkin “Kabocha” salad カボチャのサラダ
April 10,    Mini Fruit Galettes ミニフルーツガッレト 
April 21,    Spinach Soufflé (easy version) ほうれん草のスフレ 
April 30,    Frangipane Rolls フランジパンロール 

May 2024
May 13,    Pickled Micro Cucumber and Daikon 小さなキュウリと大根のピクルス 
May 15,    Steamed Carrot Buns with Ginger Custard 人参蒸しパン生姜カス... 
May 18,    Braised Eggplant with Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め
May 21,    Creamed Spinach with Cauliflower Puree カリフラワーピュレのク
May 24,    Anchovy Salad アンチョビサラダ
May 27,    Daikon Steak and Two Appetizers 大根ステーキ
May 30,    Focaccia Bread Baked in Breville Pizzaiolo Indoor Pizza Oven 

June 2024
June 2,    Steak and 2004 Joseph PhelpさんInsignia ステーキデｨナーと2004 インシグニア
June 5,    Gyoza made with New Round Gyoza Skin 日本風の餃子の皮で作った餃子 
June 8,    Filled Wool Bread 毛糸のパン 
June 11,    Shrimp Shumai 海老焼売 
June 14,    Pumpernickel Boule ドイツ黒パン 
June 17,    Ice Breaker “Summer” Sake 玉川アイスブレイカー酒 
June 20,    Carrot Panna Cotta 搾りたて人参ジュースのパナコタ
June 23,    Miso-marinated Firefly Squid ホタルイカの味噌焼き 
June 26,    Wood Ear Mushroom and Wakame Salad 木耳とわかめの和物 
June 29,    Nine “Otoshi” Appetizers お通し九種類

July 2024
July 2,    Egg roll 春巻き
July 5,    Red and Green Udon “Pasta” with Prosciutto 生ハムのせ赤と緑のうどんパスタ
July 8,    Pizza Made in Indoor Electric “Pizzaiolo” Pizza Oven 
July 11,    Garlic Chive Dumpling ニラ頭饅 or 韮菜万頭
July 14,    Mitsuba ミツバ 
July 17,    Dassai 45 and Dassai blue comparison 獺祭45とDassai Blue 50 飲み比べ 
July 28,    Cucumber in soy sauce 胡瓜の醤油漬け
July 31,    Tofu, Egg and Garlic Chives Stir Fry 豆腐ニラ玉、木耳入り

August 2024
August 9,    Home Coffee Roasting 緑コーヒー豆の自家焙煎 
August 12,    Icelandic Pumpernickel (Rye) Bread アイスランドのライ麦パン

September 2024
September 2,    Smelt Fry シシャモフライ
September 5,    Pesto Blini ペストビリニ 
September 8,    Yakitori de le Canard 鴨ささみで焼き鳥 
September 11,    Vegetables in Cold Broth 冷製のトマトの煮浸し 
September 14,    Pesto Blini Prosciutto Cheese Sandwich ペストビリニの生ハムチーズサンド
September 17,    Chicken Tender Fry with Salted Plum Sauce and Perilla ささみの梅大葉揚げ 
September 21,    Simmered Dried Daikon Threads 切り干し大根の煮物 
September 24,    Fresh Corn Blini コーンビリニ 
September 27,    Stir-fried Eggplant and Shiitake in Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め... 
September 30,    Mashed Potato Blini マシュポテトのビリニ

October 2024
October 3,    Five appetizers お通し５品
October  10,    Hen-of-the-Woods Grilled Cheese 舞茸のチーズ焼き
October 13,    Strawberry Blini いちごビリニ 
October 16,    Enoki mushroom frittata エノキ　オムレツ/フリッタータ 
October 19,    Kabocha salad カボチャサラダ 
October 22,    Matsutake (from Weee) Touban-yaki 松茸の陶盤焼き 
October 25,    Black Cod Marinated in Saikyo miso 銀鱈の西京(味噌)焼き
October 28,    Egg-wrapped Kabocha カボチャの黄金焼き 
October 31,    Almond Olive Oil Cake アーモンドオリーブオイルケーキ

November 2024
November 3,    Hiyaoroshi Sake Dewanoyuki “Sho-nai Bijin” 出羽ノ雪　冷やおろし庄内美人
November 6,    Hiyaoroshi Sake “Shichi Hon Yari” 七本槍　純米ひやおろし 
November 9,    Prosciutto-wrapped Haddock 生ハム巻きハドック (コダラ) 
November 12,    Marinated Chicken Tender Cutlet 鳥のささみのカツレツ
November 15,    Crispy Enoki Mushroom エノキのパリパリ焼き
November 18,    Bagel ベーグル 
November 21,    Chestnut Apple Soup クリとリンゴのスープ 
November 24,    Norwegian Mackerel Teriyaki 冷凍ノルウエイ鯖の照り焼き 
November 27,    “Imo-ni” Stew famous in Yamagata 芋煮庄内風 
November 30,    Matsutake and beef cooked in an Aluminum Foil Pouch 松茸と牛肉のフォイル焼き

December 2024
December 8,    Chestnut olive oil bread 栗とオリーブオイルケーキ
December 11,    Marinated Tofu and Egg Sir fry 味付け豆腐の卵炒め 
December 16,    Braised daikon with carrot, wood ear, and fried tofu 大根と人参の炒め物
December 19,    “Taco Carnitas”-ish タコ カルニタもどき
December 21,    Tofu in Warm Broth ミニ湯豆腐

Feta, spinach and pine nuts in phyllo dough フェタ、ほうれん草と松の実フィロ包

This is a small finger food based on a recipe from “Frog Commissary Cookbook“. It is phyllo-covered spinach, cheese and pine nuts filling. This is very good with crispy multiple layers of phyllo and cheesy savory center. As good as it is, this was a quite tedious work to make. Unfortunately, even for my wife who patiently makes various baked goods requiring tedious multiple steps, folding the phyllo dough was a bit too time consuming and tedious. I helped toward the end since she was getting very tired. When we finally got them in the oven we concluded that in the future it may be easier to buy this type of appetizer from a holiday season gourmet catalog rather than making it ourselves. 

Ingredients: (makes about 30)
Spinach-cheese filling
1/4 lb feta cheese
1/2 log (4oz) fresh goat cheese
2 bags of baby spinach, cooked covered over low flame without adding water, squeezed and finely chopped
1/4 cup dill (we used a bit more), finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 scallion finely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, dry roasted in a frying pan
Olive oil for sautéing

Directions:
Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil for few minutes and let it cool in a bowl
Add the spinach and dill
Flake and mix the feta and goat cheese
Add the pine nuts
(we made this one day before and refrigerated)

Assembly:
One roll (15 sheets) frozen phyllo dough, thawed. Cut the 15 sheets in half making 30 half sheets.
Separate one of the 30 1/2 sheets of phyllo, paint with melted butter and fold it lengthwise in half (#1) and paint again with butter. Place one tsp of the filling (approximately shaped like an Isosceles Right Triangle i.e. a right-angle triangle with two equal sides) on the left corner of the beginning of the phyllo (#2) Fold like folding a flag until to the end (#3) and paint more butter.
Bake it in a 375F oven for 25 minutes (#4).

The folding process made multiple layers of phyllo dough which was very light and crispy in contrast to the cheesy savory filling. The combination of feta and goat cheese really worked. After enjoying these for several days as appetizer, we may have modified the opinion we expressed earlier and decided it was worth it to make them again ourselves rather than buying them from the holiday gourmet catalog. Next time we will divide up the folding. My wife will fold 15 of the 30 phyllo half sheets and I will fold the other 15. If we manage to do this simultaneously it should take only 1/2 the time. Wish us luck.

Salmon-Spinach Tortas 鮭とほうれん草のケーキ

My wife is into making small appetizers. When she saw the recipe called “Tuna-Spinach tortas” at Washington Post on-line, it was a “must-do”. Although she liked the idea of a small tortas, canned tuna does not grace our pantry…ever.  (Instead, we keep frozen sashimi-grade tuna in the freezer). We also like salmon and almost every other week we get a half-salmon filet (A special available from the local grocery store only through home delivery). I scale it and using the main portion, make several fillet portions. I then separate the belly portion for an appetizer and use the resulting small irregular trimmings including the tail portion of the filet to make salmon cakes. After we cook the fillets (usually cooked in a frying pan to make crispy skin), I make salmon salad from the leftover portions.

This time my wife used the salmon salad I made from the left over salmon fillets instead of the canned tuna called for in the original recipe. The salmon salad was a bit different from what I usually make since we did not have enough cooked salmon fillets so I oil-poached the irregular bits of fresh salmon to make about 5oz of salmon. The oil poached salmon was much softer and more moist than our usual cooked salmon.  In addition, we did not have home-made Greek yogurt. So I used all mayo instead of mixture of mayo and Greek yogurt.

The tortas came out very nice and the salmon filling was moist but made a nice crispy shell. Although we cannot tell how the original canned tuna version would have been, this is pretty good.

As you can see in the picture below, the top portion is mixture of spinach, tomato and egg. The bottom is mixture of cheese and the salmon salad.

Ingredients: (12 cupcake sized servings)
2 bags of baby spinach cooked and drained
5 oz. Cooked salmon made into salmon salad (end amount about double the amount of salmon)
1/4 cup Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese grated
1/4 cup smoked gouda grated
3/4 cup plain panko (bread crumbs)
4 large eggs
4 Campari tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 to 1/4 cayenne pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the wells of the muffin pan with cooking oil spray. Combine the salmon salad, cheeses and panko in a mixing bowl. Divide it equally among the muffin pan wells, packing it in firmly. (I used second to largest ice cream scoop).

Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl. Coarsely chop the tomatoes (to taste), then add to the eggs, along with the salt and pepper. Add the spinach to the bowl. Stir until well incorporated, then spoon equal amounts of the mixture on top of each tuna portion in the individual muffin pan wells (#1). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until set and lightly browned (#2). Let cool for a few minutes before carefully inverting the tortas on individual plates. (#3 & #4)

This makes a great little dish that can be used as an appetizer or even part of a lunch. We were amazed at how it came out. Somehow the panko combined with the egg mixture makes a nice crisp crust on the bottom so the salmon salad seems like it is a pie filling. The salmon salad itself made a great filling. It was moist but held together. The flavors of the celery, onion and mayo used in the salad fused beautifully. The topping added a fresh note of tomato which went very well with the salmon filling. Overall this is an amazing little torta. 

Spinach cheese puffs ほうれん草チーズパフ

This is one of those small cheesy appetizers my wife likes to made. She saw this recipe on line and also realized that one of the boxes of frozen puff pastry was getting old. On the top of that, she cooked 2 packages of baby spinach and was looking for the best way to use them. So, all converged to result in this dish. I helped in preparation and clean-up. This is cheesy with a nice lemony flavor from the lemon zest. The puff pastry was still good and made a light crispy shell. This is a bit on the larger side and half  per person is just perfect size for us.

As usual, I ask my wife to take over.

Ingredients:
One sheet of puff pastry
2/3 cup onions finely diced
4 garlic cloves finely diced
8 oz. Cream cheese
2 eggs
2 packages of fresh spinach, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cup feta cheese finely crumbled
4 tbs. Dill
4 tsp. Lemon zest

Directions:
Cook the onion and garlic in a frying pan. Set aside to cool. Soften the cream cheese by lightly microwaving it under the defrost setting. Cream the softened cheese together with the eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until completely combined.

Cut the puff pastry into 9 squares. Roll out the squares so they are large enough the put in the greased cups of the muffin tin with the edges hanging over the sides (#1). (It was a bit tedious convincing the pastry to go into the cups. Also, the 9 filled cups would leave 3 unfilled in the 12 cup muffin tin. So I thawed some regular pie crust dough and used it for the remaining 3 cups.) (Digression: I made the remaining pie dough into impromptu cookies; roll out pastry, put butter and cinnamon sugar on half, fold the other half over, cook in toaster oven 400 degrees 15 minutes.)

Fill the pastry shells with the cheese mixture(#2) and fold the pastry hanging on the side over the cheese filling (#3). (Cover the cups with the pie dough with a round piece of dough like a pie topping.) Refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are golden brown (#4). Picture #5 shows the puff pastry puff while #6 shows the one made with pie dough.

Whether made with puff pastry or pie dough the result is highly acceptable. Lemon was the first taste to come through which melded into a savory onion, garlic cheese combo. Both pastries added a nice buttery crunch. Interestingly, the cream cheese mellowed out the feta very nicely. After biting into it you wouldn’t say “oh cream cheese and feta” instead you would say, “ a nice creamy savory cheese combination. What cheese would that be?”

Cheese bites, two kinds チーズバイツ、2種類

 My wife is into making small cheesy and eggy appetizers or bites. These are some she made recently. The green one is made with spinach and golden one is slightly sweet with honey. (My wife was not planning on making the golden one but the recipe for the spinach bites was short of filling the pan. She didn’t want to cook a pan that was not full so without a specific recipe to go by she came up with the golden bite.) Both are eggy and cheesy with different flavors and we like these small bites with a sip of  red wine.

Ingredients: ( A 9-10 oz bag of spinach produces 1 cup of  cooked spinach a 16 oz bag produces about 1-1.5 cups of cooked spinach)

For spinach (green) cheese bites (about 16 bites)
One bag of fresh spinach cooked and drained
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
2 eggs beaten
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper


For spinach (green) cheese bites (X2) (About 29 bites)
Two bags of fresh spinach cooked and drained (about 2 cups of cooked spinach from a typical 10 oz. bag as indicated from the statement above), 
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
4 eggs beaten
2 garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

For golden cheese bites (X1, yield 12 bites
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tbs. honey
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used smoked gouda and Monterey Jack)

For golden cheese bites (X3) (yield 24 bites)
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3 egg
3 Tbs. honey
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/4 tsp. salt 
1 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used smoked gouda and Monterey Jack)

Directions:
For spinach bites: Pulse the spinach, garlic, salt, cayenne and eggs in a food processor until finely chopped and mixed. Add the spinach mixture to the combined ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Using the second smallest ice cream scoop put the mixture in mini cup cake tin lined with paper cups. As shown in the picture below I didn’t have enough spinach mixture to fill the tray so on-the-fly I came up with the golden mixture to fill the remaining cups. (As you can see the amount was perfect to complete the tray.)

For golden bites. Blend all the ingredients together and scoop into the paper lined cups.

Cook at 400 F for about 20 minutes until they are fairly firm when touched. Let rest for about 5 minutes and remove from the muffin tins.

These make very nice small bite appetizers. Both versions were very different but very flavorful and light in texture. The spinach bites were savory with a slight garlic cheesy flavor. The spinach flavor came through nicely. The yellow version was  sweeter (obviously due to the honey). The cayenne pepper in this version was much more pronounced than in the spinach version. It resulted in a sweet/hot/peppery combined taste that really made the bite. We also discovered they heat up very nicely in the toaster oven 

Basil cake bread バジルブレッド

My wife came up this as a variation on Mint cake. We have a forest of basil on the kitchen window sill and we are hard pressed to keep up with its production. After making a batch of mint cake my wife looked at the basil forest and thought, ‘if we can make a cake using mint how ‘bout a cake made with basil?’ This is how Basil cake came to be. 

The basil cake as shown below (sans icing) tastes very good and we were quite satisfied to eat most if it this way. 

Then my wife came up with the idea of making an icing of goat and cream cheese. This is very good too. (The icing is optional). 

Ingredients:
one 5.5 oz package of baby spinach cooked (about 1 cup when cooked and moisture drained off)
1 1/2 to 2 cups raw basil (packed)
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt


Icing (Optional)
4 oz of cream cheese
4 oz of goat cheese

Directions:
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and then set aside. Put the spinach, basil, eggs, and vanilla, in a blender and puree. Then with the blender on a slow speed add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vanilla and mix in. Add the spinach/mint mixture to the flour. Put into a greased 6" x 10" inch baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper (to made it easier to get the cake out of the pan when it is done.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

For the icing. Put the two cheeses in a stand mixer bowel. Using a paddle, cream the two cheeses together. Split a piece of the basil cake in half and spread on the cheese blend

This was a very good innovative cake/bread. It has a nice moist texture. The main thing, however, is the rich robust flavor the basil brings to the show. It “sings” a note of almost meat-like umami savoriness which contrasts well with the overall slight sweetness of the cake. (I wondered if this is because when I taste basil it is generally in association with a meat rather than a sweet dish?) 

The cake tastes very good just “as-is” and after contentedly eating half of it that way my wife came up with the idea of making an icing out of cream cheese and goat cheese whipped together. A sweet icing such as the one used for mint cake would not have gone well with the robust flavor of the basil but this alternative really works because it is some what savory. Whatever, this is a great and surprising way to gain some constructive control over the basil forest. 

Puff pastry cheese swirls

My wife decided she had to use up some old frozen puff pastry which passed “best-by date” by a year. She found a recipe for broccoli based cheese swirls on the back of the puff pastry box and decided to make them. In addition, she found some pesto we had made and frozen sometime ago and decided to use the pesto to make a pesto based cheese swirl. Sort of killing two birds with one stone approach. 

As usual, I ask my wife to provide how-to.

Ingredients:
two sheets of frozen puff pastry

For the Broccoli based cheese swirl
The amounts of all the ingredients are arbitrary and are generally enough to cover the sheets.
Cooked broccoli finely chopped (spinach could also be used)
Scallion finely chopped
Various cheeses grated your choice (I used smoked gouda, mozzarella, and Parmesan.)

For the pesto based cheese swirl
Pesto to cover the sheet of puff pastry
Various cheeses grated. (I used Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan

Directions:
Thaw the sheets of puff pastry. Spread the ingredients to cover the sheets (#1 & 2 for the pesto) and (#3 for the broccoli) based. Roll up the sheets and slice into 1 inch thick pieces. Cook in a 400 F degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the swirls are golden brown.

These make a wonderful alternative to the traditional cheese tray. The pastry was light and crunchy. The cheese was nicely melted and toasted. The scallion flavor came through and really made the broccoli based rounds. While both cheese swirls were very good, in a contest of pesto versus broccoli I am completely biased in favor of pesto. (Actually it may not even be a contest). 

Mini Lasagna cups ミニロザニアカップ

One day, all of a sudden, my wife asked if we still have wonton or gyoza skins. I said we had leftover gyoza skins frozen. I was not sure why she was asking this. I found out that she saw a recipe for “mini-lasagna cups” which uses wonton skins as the pasta. This is a good dish to make since I have been reheating my marinara sauce once a week for several weeks now to make it last. It was time to use it up. In any case, the picture below shows the mini-lasagna cups she made. They are perfect for a lunch or appetizer. The combination of flavors is very nice.

You can see the layers in the picture below; layers of ricotta cheese and spinach and alternating layers of marinara sauce (actually one time when I reheated it I put in chopped up cooked chicken) separated by the wonton skins. She ran out of the wonton skins and some of the lasagna cups ended up having a layer of Pennsylvania Dutch noodles instead. (Because she had those and hey, they are a form of pasta).

 

I am not sure where she saw this recipe but I’ll ask my wife to take over. (Note from wifey: I found the recipe in the Washington Post and as usual treated it as just advisory.)

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of dry mozzarella, smoked gouda and cheddar.)
1 1/2 cups husbandito’s marinara sauce
36 wonton skins (3 per 12 muffin cup tin)

Directions:
Mix the spinach, ricotta cheese and salt together. Put half of it in a separate bowl and stir in 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Fit a wonton skin into the bottom of a 12 cup muffin tin. (I used muffin papers to make it easier to get the finished product out but it turned out they weren’t necessary.) Evenly divide the ricotta spinach blend into each cup (#1). Fit another wonton skin on top. Spoon the marinara sauce on top (#2). Cover with another wonton skin. (Note that at this point I ran out of wonton skins so I used cooked pasta as shown in the left side of #3) Evenly divide the ricotta shredded cheese on top (#4). Top the mixture with remaining marinara sauce and grated cheese (#5). Cook in a 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese on the top is melted, browned and bubbling (#6). 

These were a bit tedious to put together but they were worth it. They had all the satisfying complex flavor of a full lasagne with all the elegance of a single portion. They made a perfect lunch with a salad or a small bowl of soup. 

Cheesy spinach squares

My wife is into making small cheesy appetizers--particularly green cheesy appetizers. This recipe fulfilled both conditions and she had to make it.

The cheese squares were fairly easy to make but despite all the cheese and other ingredients that went into it, we felt, in general, it was pretty bland. The spinach gave it a green color but didn't add much flavor. To jazz it up a bit we tried it with my tomato sauce which was made from skinned Campari tomatoes. The addition of the tomato sauce added more flavor and really helped.

My wife was on the look-out for other ways she could improve the cheese squares and one evening when she was frying up some scrapple for an appetizer she decide she would fry up the cheese squares the same way since she had peanut oil in the pan and it was hot  .

She dredged the squares in flour and fried them on all sides until they had a nice brown crust as shown in the picture below. This was an improvement. The crust had a nice crunchy toasted flavor and the inside was soft with a slight cheesy flavor.  It was okay but not outstanding.

Ingredients (#1 in the composite picture):
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 and 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tbs butter, melted
1 cup chopped fresh spinach (original recipe calls or 1package or 9oz frozen chopped spinach).

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients (#1 in composite picture) together (#2 in composite picture) . Place the mixture in a greased 9 inch square pan lined with parchment paper and greased again. (This makes it easier to get out after it is done.) (#3 in composite picture)  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Loosen the edges from the sides of the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven (#4 in composite picture) . Let it cool slightly before cutting.

This wasn't bad and certainly went together quickly. It was quite edible but not exciting. If we make it again we will have to make some significant alterations.

Smoked salmon, potato, cheese loaf and cheese bites スモークサーモン、ポテト、チーズローフ

We had some leftover cooked spinach, mashed potatoes and a small amount of smoked salmon so my wife came up with this. It is a combination of several recipes; "egg and smoked salmon in puff pastry", "spinach cheese loaf"and mashed potatoes with cream cheese and chives. The egg and smoked salmon recipe inspired the use of smoked salmon. The spinach cheese loaf was the basis for the center cheese and spinach layer. The mashed potato layer was a variation of gnocchi.

The layers are shown here from the bottom, the smoked salmon, cheeses mixture and mashed potato encased in puff pastry..

Since the cheese filling was too much for the loaf, my wife put the excess into small muffin tins with a small piece of smoked salmon on the  bottom to make little cheese bites (shown below).  They came out very nicely.

Without pastry shell and potato, these by themselves were quite a good small bite.

Ingredients:
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 cup mashed potato with cream cheese with chives
Smoked salmon, enough to cover 1/2 of the puff pastry (or whatever amount available)
6 oz. double Gloucester cheese grated (original recipe calls for Mozzarella, we did not have it).
block of feta cheese, crumbled (or to taste).
10 oz. ricotta cheese
One bag spinach (or whatever available) cooked without adding any liquid, excess moisture squeezed and finely chopped.
red pepper flakes (optional)
3 eggs (2 for cheese layer 1 for potato layer)

Directions:
On a piece of parchment paper roll out the puff pastry. Combine the cheeses and the spinach (#1). Stir in the 2 eggs (#2). Put the mashed potatoes in a bowl. Stir in the egg. Add enough flour so the spinach has the consistency of gnocchi i.e. has a firm consistency and is not runny.

Assembly: Lay the smoked salmon on 1/2 of the puff pastry. Spread the cheese and spinach layer on top (#4). Spread the potato layer on top of the cheese (#5). Fold the other half of puff pastry over the half with the cheese mixture. Seal the edges with some water and press with a fork. Dock the pastry with the tines of the fork (#6). Transfer the puff pastry on the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Directions for the cheese bites
Since there was too much cheese stuffing to go into the puff pastry my wife used it to make little cheese bites. She greased a tin for mini muffins. Put a small piece of salmon in the bottom of the cup and scooped in enough filling to fill the tin. She baked these with the puff pastry loaf at 425 for about 18 minutes. When they came out of the oven the cheese stuck to the side of the tin. She used a spatula to loosen the edges while the cheese was still hot. Luckily because of the salmon on the bottom the little bites just fell out when the tin was inverted and tapped gently on the counter top.

This was a very good variation on the "cheese-in-puff-pastry" theme. The salmon gave a salty smokiness. The ricotta spinach feta combo is always winning. The layer of gnocchi like potato on the top was a lovely surprise. The cream cheese chive flavor really came through and smooth texture of the potatoes was a nice contrast to the somewhat firmer texture of the cheese layer. The little cheese bites were also very good. Again the salmon added it characteristic salty smokiness, the cheese layer was very good but it was different from the cheese layer in the puff pastry loaf made with the same ingredients. The outside of the cheese had gotten toasted in the mini muffin tins so it was somewhat crunchy and the flavor of the toasted portion was somewhat deeper than the un-toasted portion. It made a very satisfying single mouthful. These would definitely be worth making in their own right.