Spinach Balls

Happy New Year!!   Did you party hard this weekend or lay low around the house?  We hung out at home on New Year's Eve, drinking prosecco for the adults and sparkling grape juice for the kiddos.  Then we went to New York to visit Matt's family on 1/1/11, the most propitious day of the new year.  My mother-in-law has a New Year's Day tradition of preparing dishes that are purported to bring you good luck for the upcoming year.  We ate roasted pork shoulder because the pig symbolizes abundance and prosperity, kale for wealth because it's green like money, long noodles for a long life, Hoppin' John  for good luck and whole red snapper with head (and teeth!) and tail intact, which is "a fish that swims forward" which means that we will continue moving forward with our lives into the New Year.  Had I planned ahead, I would have taken some pictures for you but alas! I did not.  So you'll just have to take my word for it that the food was cooked to perfection and a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

Now that we've covered New Year's, let's rewind back to Christmas.  I cooked up a storm and will be posting some of the recipes over the next few weeks.  Check out these spinach balls, which were served as an appetizer while we unwrapped gifts. They were a huge hit.  The spinach balls were great for the holiday but I think they'd be even better for a retro themed cocktail party Mad Men style because they're a total throwback to the 1950s and 60s.  Serve them up with pigs in a blanket, rumaki and a cheese ball.  Put on your best wiggle dress, blast some Elvis Presley and toss back a dirty martini or two. Or three.

SPINACH BALLS
adapted from Simple Comfort Food
printer friendly recipe

2 10 ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups dry Italian style breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs made from white bread
1 large onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted and cooled to room temperature
4 eggs, well beaten
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, basil or chives
1/2 cup grated parmesan or pecorino roman cheese

Put the frozen spinach in a large bowl and add enough water to just cover the spinach.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Break up the spinach with a fork and put back in the microwave for another 5 minutes.  Drain thoroughly in a sieve and cool for ten minutes.  Then squeeze out as much water as possible.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put the drained spinach into a large bowl and break up with a fork so that it isn't one big clump.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Form heaping tablespoons into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Put as many as you can one baking sheet.  You should be able to fit all of the balls on one standard sized baking sheet.

Bake for 16-20 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

These can also be made ahead of time.  After baking, allow the spinach balls to cool completely.  Freeze until ready to use.  To reheat, bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 36 spinach balls.