Spinach Puffs — What I Make When Earl Thomas Needs to Learn What a Kitchen Smells Like

Twenty-three degrees Monday. Wind through the coat, not around it. Walked anyway — Diane gave me a scarf technique, breathe through a scarf over nose and mouth to warm the air. Works. I walk like a bank robber doing cardio.

Made turnip greens with Monday beans — cleaned in three changes of water the way Betty taught me, cooked with smoked ham hock for an hour. Drank a cup of pot liquor straight, like a broth, because pot liquor is the overlooked miracle of Appalachian cooking. More flavor and nutrition than the greens themselves, and throwing it out is the culinary equivalent of throwing away the yolk.

Earl Thomas is nine months. Travis brought him Saturday and he crawled — real crawling, hands and knees, headed straight for the kitchen because even at nine months he knows where the food is. I scooped him up and showed him the beans on the stove and said smell that, Earl Thomas, that's Monday. He grabbed the wooden cooking spoon and waved it like a scepter. His first cooking spoon.

The turnip greens and Monday beans were for me — for the cold, for the ritual, for the pot liquor that nobody talks about enough. But Earl Thomas waving that wooden spoon got me thinking about what I’d make the next time Travis brings him over, something with greens in it, something I could hold up and say “smell that.” These spinach puffs are that recipe: leafy and savory, wrapped in something golden and approachable, the kind of thing a nine-month-old could watch come out of the oven and someday, years from now, remember the smell of.

Spinach Puffs

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 33 minutes | Servings: 24 puffs

Ingredients

• 2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Prepare the spinach. Squeeze the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels until as much moisture as possible is removed. This step matters — wet spinach makes soggy puffs.
3. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, beaten egg, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth. Fold in the dried spinach until evenly distributed.
4. Prepare the dough. Unroll the crescent dough and separate into triangles along the perforations. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise so you have smaller triangles.
5. Fill and roll. Place a heaping teaspoon of spinach filling at the wide end of each dough triangle. Roll up toward the point, tucking in the sides slightly as you go. Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart.
6. Apply egg wash. Whisk together the egg yolk and water. Brush lightly over the tops of each puff for a golden finish.
7. Bake. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the puffs are deep golden brown and cooked through. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving — the filling holds heat and needs time to settle.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 112 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 0.5g | Sodium: 218mg