cheesy artichoke & spinach bake

Posted on November 12, 2024 by Shawn

I was going to make my creamy cheesey spinach srtichoke chicken stew then realised I didn’t have the right chicken in the freezer (it works best with boneless thighs, not breasts). So then I thought… what else can I do with spinach and artichokes? Found a few recipes online for artichoke & spinach dip, but I didn’t really want a dip. Then I wasn’t sure if I wanted something to serve on crusty bread, or over roasted potatoes… in the end toasted ciabatta won because I had some on hand that needed using up today. Done. I also wanted a version I could bake in the air fryer. Also… done. And so this “not a dip kinda sauce” happened and it turned out great.

The second time I made it I added some chopped toasted marcona almonds for some crunch… also great!

Ingredients and instructions below…
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endive with cream cheese and anchovy filling

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Shawn

Here’s another recipe I found online – in this case an Instagram post by @poesiadefogon – that I first made according to the instructions (other than swapping pecans for marcona almonds) but since then I have made it several times with various changes. The first recipe (pic above served with garlic toast) is the original and the second “quick version” is shown below. Main difference is for the quick version I used garlic and onion powder (not garlic and onion salt – very important), added black pepper and some ground guidillas for heat, and served it on different toasts with different tinned fish toppings (mackerel or tuna) along with some sliced piquillo peppers. Really to turn it into more of a light meal than an aperitif snack. Also, I don’t usually have fresh chives and gherkins on hand.

But I mean, as a base, cream cheese with chopped toasted almonds lends itself to almost unlimited number of variations on a super tasty theme. Could even be a dip? I noticed in the video the cream cheese he used looked more liquid than actual cream cheese. Anyhow, try it out and let me know what you think.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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manchego cheese croquetas

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Shawn

It seemed like a good idea to make croquetas on a rainy afternoon, as they are a bit labour intensive and I wasn’t going anywhere. Plus, it had been a long while since I’ve made croquetas, so wanted to be sure I still knew how. I should say that I have a different idea of croquetas than the average Sevillano (and many Spaniards in general) in that I like mine to taste of something other than bechamel. There are many points of view about what constitutes the “perfect croqueta” and I actually don’t care that much. The ones I like best are full of flavour, soft and creamy on the inside and with a good solid crunchy outside. Anyhow, today I opted for cheese croquetas, which in the end is like making a thick cheese sauce, breading and frying it. Which is amazing! My recipe has maybe three times the cheese as I’ve seen elsewhere – you can decide how cheesy you want them.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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garlicky spinach & feta (with optional bacon)

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Shawn

I first thought of this as a way of using up some almost off baby spinach, and I happened to have some feta and plenty of onions and garlic, so this is what happened. Since then I’ve been having it on toasted breads of various types, but you can also use it as a stuffing for grilled mushrooms or chicken breasts (kiev style). And while this started off vegetarian as an open-faced sandwich on toasted “chapata cristal”, later on I tried it with crispy bacon added to the mix and turned it into a fabulous grilled sandwich on sourdough rye. As you can see, it’s pretty versatile.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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cheesy garlicky courgette potato bacon bake

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Shawn

So it’s another “fridge forage” lunch, this time using up a couple of courgettes and potatoes that needed eating. It’s fast and easy and you can play around with the ingredients (obviously leave out the bacon for a vegetarian option). Really nice comfort food for a cold rainy November day.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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potato “raclette” casserole

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Shawn

Just so you know, this has nothing to do with a proper raclette, nor does it use raclette cheese. But as it does involve mostly potatoes and melted cheese this is what came to mind as I was making it. It all started yesterday when I realised that the very special Swedish Vasterbottensost Cheese that my friend Karin had brought for me in October was about to reach its expiry date. I’d been saving it for a special occasion…

Anyhow, it was such a miserable wet and cold day that some comfort food was definitely required and, after trying a bit of the Vasterbottensost (delicious!) decided it needed to be eaten as simply as possible. And so I came up with this. It was a perfect rainy day meal … and also made for great leftovers!

Ingredients and instructions below…

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triple grilled mac & cheese

Posted on November 7, 2010 by Shawn

Another fab recipe from guest contributor, fellow foodie & friend WeeRascal
(previous contribution was his angus beef & coriander casserole)

[click to enlarge]

What’s your favourite part of Mac and cheese? For me, a slightly burnt, crispy, extra cheesy top when it pops out of the oven is heaven. So I had an idea: why not make a Mac and cheese that has this sort of texture all the way through? The recipe is actually very similar to the way my grandmother used to make it. It’s not at all like the over-rich, creamy, liquid dish you’ll get from a tin, or from a restaurant – I find that a couple of mouthfuls of this “white lava” can be far too sickly. On the other hand, because of the layering and grilling process used here, the cheese adheres to the pasta like iron filings to a magnet and it’s very addictive. From a culinary point of view, this is about as easy as it gets, but it’s not exactly healthy. It’s perfect for the odd comfort food fix and I will say from experience that it is a superb hangover cure – served cold. Incidentally, you may think that there’s far too much mustard power in this, but bear with me – it really does turbo charge the sharpness of the cheese.

Recipe and instructions below…

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bacony leek & potato bake

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Shawn

Yesterday I saw some lovely looking leeks at the market and bought them without any idea of what I’d end up doing with them. In the end this is what I came up with – something autumny that included bacon, garlic and cheese. It was very tasty and easy to make, and quite nice comfort food…

Recipe and instructions below the links.

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spinach & feta rollups

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Shawn

Flour tortilla rollups are a favourite around casa az, and I make several variations. These spinach ones have toasted pinenuts and feta cheese and are spiced up with chili flakes. I also make them with a grated mild white cheese, like havarti. Or a mix of both white & feta cheeses. Fast and easy to make, satisfying and low carb.

Ingredients and instructions are below the links.
Also some pics of rollup variations

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courgette tortilla

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Shawn

This is a super fast and super simple low-carb version of the traditional spanish tortilla omelette, which is typically a potato omelette. It’s important to get as much excess moisture as possible out of the grated courgette before adding it to the egg mixture. And the (optional) grated cheese can either be added to the mixture before cooking or melted on top afterwards.

Recipe and instructions below the links…