Let's Do The Twist! (Spinach Feta Stuffed Soft Pretzels)

I'm proud to make good on my promise to share something yummy by week's end...despite falling prey to a nasty cold the day before my last exams and remaining in its clutches all week. We also just got our first real snow of the year (yay!), and I'm wishing for a white Christmas. Hope you all are as excited for the holidays as we are and keeping yourselves nice n' warm =D.

A bit of a surprise even for me, but today's recipe is inspired by Starbucks! While they've somehow managed to ruin every type of baked sweet I've sampled (even the classic CC cookie), their stuffed pretzels were actually quite good. I use the past tense because I'm not sure they still make these as I can't find any mention on their website.

But whether or not they still sold them, I knew I could make my own at home, where they'd be fresher and much cheaper. A quick Google search revealed no shortage of soft pretzel fans out there, and I quickly found a recipe for a slightly sweet pretzel with pillowy soft insides. The dough couldn't be easier to mix up but with the rising and assembly time required, I decided to keep the filling fast and easy. Ready-made creamed spinach with a spicy kick, gooey mozzarella, and flavorful crumbled feta. Before we knew it, P and I had an irresistible snack on our hands. And you might say, half the batch and 2 hours later, that we made no attempt to resist 8p.

I'm sending this over to Susan at Wild Yeast for her weekly Yeastspotting event, where I've noticed the round-ups growing larger recently. Have you guys been baking any yummy yeasted treats? Please do tell me all about them!

Spinach Feta Stuffed Soft Pretzels [Printable Recipe]
Adapted from Owl Moon Studio and FoodMayhem
Makes 12 pretzels

XIAOLU'S NOTES: The amounts of filling ingredients given below are approximate. You may use a little more or less depending on personal judgment, how wide you press the dough, etc. Also, I already reduced the sugar greatly from the original dough recipe, but feel free to change the amount to as high as 1/2 cup. If you don't have a stand mixer, just mix the dough ingredients in the same order as below but with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand for 5 to 8 minutes until dough is smooth.

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
1 Tbsp PLUS 1 tsp sugar, divided
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp table salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water

1 cup creamed spinach [prepared according to directions if frozen]
Red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 to 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese [or string cheese torn into strips]
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Kosher or other large salt, to garnish

In a small bowl combine warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.

Put 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon table salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment for a few seconds. Add vegetable oil and yeast mixture and just mix until moistened.

Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Add in the remaining cup of flour while dough is kneading. When dough is done kneading, place in a large oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise till doubled in size, about 1 hour.

30 minutes before you plan to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F . Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper. Dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, roughly 1/2-inch diameter. Press the ropes flat, until about 2-inch across.

Mix red pepper flakes, if using and to taste, into the creamed spinach. Spoon a 1/2-inch wide row of spinach mixture down the center. Sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella and feta cheese over the spinach. Roll up dough about the filling and pinch the edges shut. Shape into pretzels, gently pressing ends down to attach. Carefully dip pretzels, one at a time, into the baking soda/water, then place pretzels on baking sheet. Be gentle to avoid the filling breaking through. In fact, these are delicate enough that you might want to lower the pretzels into the water while in your hands instead of dipping. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

As soon as the pretzels come out of the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a little salt. Let cool 5 minutes. Then enjoy right away or reheat leftovers later in a toaster oven, sandwich press, or even waffle iron.

You Know You're A Foodie When...

Would you laugh at me if I told you that most of the "events" that end up making my day (or even my week) are food-related? It may be discovering the most amazing rhubarb vanilla bean jam at Borough Market when visiting my best friend in London. Or the addictive chewiness of NYC's speculoos spread leige waffles of Throwdown with Bobby Flay fame. While crossing state and even country lines with friends does tend to encourage food "eventfulness," it's by no means required.

The first bite of a straight-from-the-oven pizzookie with the perfect cookie-to-ice-cream ratio, for example, was a revelation right in my own kitchen. Even the humble neighborhood grocery can hold unexpected treasures, like these zebra eggplants. When I spied these the other week, I couldn't help but gasp out of admiration for Mother Nature's artistry. Best of all these beauties were mine for the same price as common eggplant. I anticipated (correctly) with some sadness that the stunning pattern would fade upon cooking. Still, if these eggplants could be made into a tasty enough dish, we'd at least be transforming one form of beauty into another, right?

Humbly, I say to you that this flavorful and relatively healthy tart does justice to its ingredients. Eggplant gracefully shares the spotlight with plum tomatoes as well as smoked mozzarella and feta cheeses. And that's just the filling. A generous dose of freshly ground black pepper in the crust gives a little kick to every bite. Just enough to pull you back for another taste...and another. I did find the original recipe produced a slightly tough crust. A result, I suspect, of lowering the fat content excessively (to only 1 Tbsp?) in an attempt to healthify the tart. The recipe below includes my adjustments to the crust, but feel free to stick with the original recipe if you need to minimize your fat intake for health reasons. Even with my nitpick, I enjoyed it so much that I had it for 3 meals in a row!

Now I'm looking at you, my readers. Please tell me, what are the vegetables that get you excited? And what delightful dishes do you make from them?

Eggplant Tomato Smoked Mozzarella Tart [Printable Recipe]
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 3 to 4

XIAOLU'S NOTES: I loved the flavor of this crust, but had textural issues. Though I've modified the recipe to fix those problems, you're welcome to use your favorite savory tart crust recipe instead. Just add 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper to the dry ingredients. For the filling, make sure to slice your eggplant no thinner than 1/4" thick. I sliced a bit too thinly, which resulted in them being slightly dry when baked. The original recipe also called for salting the eggplant. To save time, I've skipped that step but as a result it's important to use fresh eggplant so that it doesn't impart a bitter taste.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp toasted wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 to 3 Tbsp water
4 Tbsp olive oil
Cooking spray

1 lb eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4" thick slices
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano [I used 1/2 tsp dried]
1 T chopped fresh mint
2 plum tomatoes (about 6 ounces), thinly sliced
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp grated fresh parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through 1/4 teaspoon salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add 2 tablespoons of water and all the oil, stirring to form a soft dough. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed to make the dough come together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover and chill 15 minutes.

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap dough, and place chilled dough on plastic wrap. Cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap. Fit dough, plastic-wrap side up, into a 10-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Press dough against bottom and sides of pan. Pierce bottom and sides of dough with a fork; bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, arrange eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush slices with 1/2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Stack eggplant slices on a plate; cover with plastic wrap. Let eggplant stand 7 minutes to steam.

Using more towels, pat tomato slices dry. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, oregano, mint, and tomatoes.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons smoked mozzarella and all the feta on bottom of baked crust. Layer eggplant and tomato mixture in crust, and top with 6 tablespoons smoked mozzarella and parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into 8 wedges.