It's Appetizer Time!...Spinach Pinwheels

The holidays will soon be upon us, oh my! Here in the United States, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and Christmas will soon follow. It's a lovely time of parties, family gatherings, and of course...food! I typically try to keep appetizers to a minimum. My philosophy is either have an appetizer party, or a dinner party. Why have your guests fill up on appetizers when you've gone to the effort to put together a lovely meal? But, when your guests arrive, it's always nice to have a little something for them while they wait for the last preparations to be made to the meal.

I love recipes that do duel duty. This particular recipe is a fabulous appetizer, but it's also a great accompaniment to a bowl of soup. They are fabulous right out of the oven, and great served at room temperature. So you can make them a half hour before your guests arrive, and then you aren't scurrying around at the last minute.

I initially found the recipe on the back of a puffed pastry box, but I have changed it up a bit.          

Begin with a sheet of puffed pastry at room temperature on a floured the surface. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Reserve the leftover egg mixture.

Top the pastry with 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese mixed with 1/4 cup of  shredded romano cheese.

 
Thaw a 16 oz.pkg. of spinach. In order to squeeze out the liquid from the spinach, I put it on 3 layers of paper towels and squeeze out the liquid, reserving the liquid in a bowl that I will then freeze and use in a soup recipe at a later date. Once the spinach is dry, spread it over the pastry. At this point, I like to top the spinach with a salt and garlic blend that I grind.   
 

Beginning at the short edge of the pastry, roll the the pastry into a jelly roll. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 20 rings approximately 1/2" wide.

Place the rings onto a greased baking sheet, and brush with remaining egg mixture. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Spinach Pinwheels

ingredients;
1 sheet of puffed pastry thawed and at room temperature
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
1/4 cup romano cheese grated
1 16 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach thawed 
garlic and sea salt for seasoning

directions;
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place pastry sheet on floured surface. Combine water and egg and beat well. Brush pastry sheet with beaten egg mixture. Set aside remainder. Top pastry with shredded cheese mixture. 
Place thawed spinach on paper towels and squeeze out all liquid. Liquid can be reserved and used in soup recipes. Once spinach is dry, spread over cheese mixture. 
Beginning at short edge of pastry, roll all into a jelly roll. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 20 rings, approximately 1/2" in width. 
Place rings on a greased baking sheet. Use remaining egg mixture to brush the tops of each pinwheel. 
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 
Serve warm out of the oven, or at room temperature. Leftovers, if there are any!!!, are great too!

Enjoy!

Rhonda