Creamed Spinach with Hearts of Palm

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Despite the fact that I’m home now more than I used to be (read: all of the freaking time), and have more time for cooking, my interest, in all honesty, has waned. As a consequence, I tend to make dishes that I know can do double duty at a variety of meals, and in a variety of ways. Case in point is this delicious Creamed Spinach with Hearts of Palm vegetable side dish that became the next morning’s (and the next, and the next) toast topper. It may sound strange, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, because this is delish! I am not a sweet breakfast eater, far preferring savory, and I tend to opt for things that aren’t generally looked upon as breakfast foods, grilled cheese sandwiches come to mind.

After the wonderful Beach Bread that I enjoyed last week, I was keenly interested in finding other similar things to make for breakfast. This is a tasty way to start the day, as well as a satisfying one. If you have something that is delicious and substantial right off the bat, you will remain alert for a much longer time, and won’t be running on empty come late morning. Give this recipe a try for dinner this evening; it goes very well with meat and potato, or all on its own as a vegetarian main dish, and is excellent on toast the next morning.

Creamed Spinach with Hearts of Palm

1 T. butter
¼ c. chopped Melissa’s shallots
1 T. flour
Few gratings fresh nutmeg
½ c. heavy cream
½ c. of milk
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
½ c. chopped Melissa’s hearts of palm (about 3)
¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of kosher salt
Few gratings freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 425° F. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with Pam; set aside.

In a 9-inch sauté pan, melt butter, and cook shallots until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk in flour and nutmeg, and continue to cook, whisking occasionally, for two more minutes. Slowly add cream and milk, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Fold in spinach, hearts of palm, and half of the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Turn mixture into prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese and Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Allow to cool on the counter five minutes before serving. 

To make spinach toasts:

2 slices rustic bread, lightly toasted
Olive oil
1 c. leftover Creamed Spinach with Hearts of Palm, divided
1 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

 Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Brush both sides of toast with olive oil. Place toast onto baking sheet and top with spinach mixture, spreading to the edges. Scatter tomato on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Switch your oven from heat to broil, and broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Hearts of Palm and Spinach Quiche

As I have mentioned more than once, I often share meals with my dad. I enjoy cooking, and he enjoys eating, and taking a break from the frozen dinners that comprise much of his diet. This quiche is so good that, heaven help me, it crossed my mind to not mention it to dad and eat his portion myself. I didn’t, but I thought about it.

I am a big fan of hearts of palm, and try to use them in as many dishes as possible. I have found, over the years, that they are a fine, if not better, substitute for artichoke hearts. They have the same mild flavor, but are tender rather than woody, as artichoke hearts can tend to be. So, this is a variation on my Crustless Artichoke and Spinach Quiche, using hearts of palm as a substitute. I liked it so well, that this is going to be my new “go to” quiche. I used the Applewood Smoked Gruyere that I picked up at Aldi, and this gave the quiche a wonderful creamy texture, and lightly smoky flavor. In a word, wonderful! 

Hearts of Palm and Spinach Quiche

1 piecrust, homemade or purchased

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups baby spinach

1 8-oz. pkg. Aldi Applewood Smoked Gruyere,* grated

5 hearts of palm from a 14.5 oz. jar of Melissa’s Hearts of Palm, sliced into ¼ coins (about 1 c.)

5 large eggs

2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Few gratings fresh nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Blind bake pastry shell, whether you’ve made the pastry yourself or bought one. You can do this by lining the pastry with aluminum foil, topping the foil with pastry weights, and baking it in the oven until the pastry is golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. If you don’t have pastry weights, well, by them (you can find them here), or use dried beans or rice.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and spread Dijon on the bottom.  While the pastry is cooling, heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach, and stir until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Place spinach, hearts of palm, and grated cheese (reserve a bit for top, if desired) into the pastry shell, spreading to cover.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and the milk until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour egg mixture (Very slowly, I am talking almost glacial) over the spinach, hearts of palm, and cheese in the prepared pastry shell. Grate nutmeg over top, and sprinkle on remaining grated cheese.

Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 45-55 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a sharp knife blade into the center of the filling and if it comes out clean, the quiche is baked through. Remove the quiche from the oven and serve immediately.

*This may be a seasonal item, so regular Gruyere would be fine as well.

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Here is another use for those tasty hearts of palm – Baked Hearts of Palm Dip.  Addicting!

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