Green burgers!

I have been blessed with an abundance of fresh spinach and I was looking for a recipe that uses it as a main ingredient. I found this on epicurious.com. They were easy, delicious, and best of all can be cut into little baby sized pieces. Geneva loved them! The spinach flavor was really subtle reminder reminded me of a veggie burger.

Last night I added shredded cheese. For bread crumbs, I used toasted wh wheat bread. I didn't do the lemon or salt/pepper. Instead I used chili powder and garlic.

Today I made a huge batch to freeze for later since it is such a healthy and easy toddler meal. Today I added ground pinto beans, cheese, and used various flours to even them out (random amts of corn meal, barley flour, and wh wheat).

If you have a young eater, I really recommend these as a more palatable way to serve spinach.



I swear they are better than they look (but I actually think they look awesome bc I LOVE spinach)




For the mega batch:



Yield: Makes about 16 patties
Keftes de Espinaca

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
2 pounds fresh spinach, stemmed, cooked, chopped, and squeezed dry, or 20 ounces thawed frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry
About 1 cup matza meal or fine dried bread crumbs
About 3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges for serving

NOTE To reheat the spinach patties, place in a large skillet, add 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Preparation
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and, if using, the garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the spinach, matza meal, salt, pepper, and, if using, the nutmeg. Stir in the eggs. If the mixture is too loose, add a little more matza meal. The mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for a day.

2. Shape the spinach mixture into patties 3 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, with tapered ends. In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of oil over medium heat. In batches, fry the patties, turning, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm, accompanied with lemon wedges.

Sephardic Spinach Patties with Cheese (Keftes de Espinaca con Queso):
Add 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Muenster, Swiss, Gouda, or Cheddar cheese; or 1/4 cup grated kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese.

Sephardic Spinach Patties with Walnuts (Keftes de Espinaca con Muez):
Substitute 1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped walnuts for the matza meal.

Italian Spinach Patties (Polpettine di Spinaci):
Add 3/4 cup raisins soaked in white wine for 30 minutes, then drained, and 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts.

Olive Trees and Honey, 2005
By Gil Marks
www.epicurious.com



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