Watch this!
A culinary trend that’s popular at the moment is snappy 30 second cooking videos appearing on social media. They often feature irresistible party food with slightly miraculous presentation. The videos are so light and fun that you can’t help but want to make the creation. I saw one awhile back that I thought would be great for game day. Unfortunately, trying to find the videos again later can be nearly impossible, so had to wing it. jump to recipe
The recipe I saw was for a “twisty bread” that guests pull apart to eat, adding to the enjoyment. I decided on crowd pleasing spinach and artichoke, and was happy with my rendition. Worst case scenario is that you end up with a pile of “Spinach and Artichoke Yummy Buttons.” Nobody will complain… unless their team loses.
You can assemble this a few hours ahead and keep in the fridge until ready to bake. I only made one and used the leftover filling for a pasta sauce that was fantastic. Puff pastry is folded into thirds, so you end up with two leftover strips of puff pastry for something else. You can make this with frozen spinach, but you’ll have to squeeze the heck out of it and omit artichoke liquid. If your sheet pan doesn’t fit in the freezer, use whatever will fit, then go back to the sheet pan.
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry, slightly defrosted
- 5 oz. baby spinach
- 8 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 Tbsp. pesto
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp. coconut or olive oil
- 2 tsp paprika or chili powder, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a sharp knife, remove 1 “panel” of puff pastry from each sheet (wrap and refreeze for another use). Line 2 sheet pans with parchment. Drain artichokes, reserving the liquid.
- In a food processor, combine spinach, artichokes and 2 Tbsp. of reserved liquid. Puree until fairly smooth. Add a pinch of salt, pesto and parmesan, then process 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- For each loaf, flour the surface and roll the dough to about ? larger, keeping rectangular shape. Transfer to the parchment from prepared pan. Spread about half the mixture over one long side of the dough (it should be about ¼”thick). With dampened fingers, thin and slightly moisten the edges of dough, then fold the other half over the spinach side. Press edges together and seal with a fork, then brush with egg wash. Using the parchment, transfer loaf back to the pan and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Keeping the folded side intact and using a sharp knife, make ¾” slices to ¾” from the fold. Gently twist the end of each slice twice, then press the end onto the parchment. I helped the loaf into an arch as I went, which allowed the slices to puff more easily. Hold covered in fridge for a few hours, if desired.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand a few minutes, then transfer to a serving platter with dressing of choice.
