Elevate your New Year's Eve with vibrant spinach rolls
After the indulgence of traditional holidays, it's time to lighten things up for a New Year's Eve gathering. Save the bigos for another occasion, and instead of roasts and pâtés, try preparing a light spinach roll. It's worth a bit of hustle because this snack tastes best after chilling in the refrigerator for several hours. This allows the green dough and creamy filling with toppings to meld beautifully.
The spinach roll is particularly delicious when layered with Philadelphia-type cream cheese. Choosing vibrant toppings is important to ensure the snack is anything but bland. A combination of smoked salmon and sun-dried tomatoes is a hit. If you're inclined towards a vegetarian twist, try carrot "not-salmon" marinated in soy sauce. For a meaty option, Parma ham is an excellent choice.
Other ideas for savoury rolls
A roll as a cold snack is an excellent choice for any party. Beyond the salmon version, you can experiment with various fillings. A popular variant is a roll with arugula and prosciutto. Just add arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, and thin slices of Italian ham to the creamy cheese, and you’re all set.
For those who love intense flavours, the combination of cottage cheese with gorgonzola and walnuts combined with chicory and figs is perfect. A spinach roll can also be prepared in a vegan version, using hummus and grilled vegetables, which provides both an aesthetic appeal and a bold taste.
Spinach roll with vegan "salmon" from carrots
To prepare a vegan version of the spinach roll, take inspiration from the recipe for carrot "salmon." The key to this dish is a marinade based on soy sauce and pressed nori seaweed, which infuses the carrots with a distinctive fishy taste.
Steam long, thin slices of carrot and then marinate them in soy sauce with nori for several hours. You can place this prepared "fish" in the roll along with vegan cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. It also pairs beautifully with avocado.
How to make a spinach roll?
You can add fresh or frozen spinach leaves to the dough for the green roll. It's best to sauté them with butter and garlic. Chopped spinach doesn't require blending.
Ingredients for spinach dough:
- 200 grams of spinach,
- 2 tablespoons butter,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 3 eggs,
- 3 tablespoons flour,
- a pinch of salt,
- a pinch of pepper,
- a tablespoon of olive oil.
Toppings:
- 200 grams of Philadelphia-type cream cheese,
- 200 grams of sliced smoked salmon,
- 85 grams of sun-dried tomatoes, drained from oil.
Preparation:
- Melt the butter in a pan, add finely chopped garlic, and then the spinach. Heat until the leaves wilt and the water evaporates.
- Remove from the pan and blend into a uniform mass. Set aside to cool.
- When the spinach cools, take the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Mix the yolks with spinach, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Beat the whites into a stiff foam with a pinch of salt.
- Carefully mix the spinach mixture into the beaten egg whites.
- Transfer the entire mixture to a large rectangular pan lined with baking paper. Grease the paper beforehand with olive oil. Spread the mixture with a spoon, evening out its surface.
- Bake it in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes. After baking, let it cool.
- Spread with cream cheese and roll with toppings, slowly unrolling the roll from the baking paper.
