Spinach Turnovers

The house closed. December 15th. Megan and I signed approximately four thousand documents and the lawyer handed us the keys and we drove to the house — our house — and stood in the empty living room and the December light came through the windows and the floors creaked and the kitchen was outdated and the porch sagged and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

We didn't move in yet — the apartment lease runs through January, and the house needs work before it's livable. But we have keys. We have a deed. We have a four-bedroom Craftsman bungalow in Bay View, eight blocks from the Cape Cod, with a yard and a basement and a kitchen that will, eventually, be the kitchen I've always dreamed of.

Tom came over the first weekend with his tools. He walked through every room, testing outlets, checking breakers, making notes on his legal pad. He said, "The wiring in the kitchen is from the seventies." I said, "Is that bad?" He said, "It's bad." He said, "I'll start Saturday." He will start Saturday. He will come every Saturday for the next three years. He will rewire this house the way he rewired the Cape Cod, the way his father rewired their house before that. Kowalski men fix wiring. It's in the blood.

Made mushroom soup in the apartment kitchen one last time. The kitchen that held every important moment of my twenties. The kitchen where I learned to make pierogi. Where I told Megan I loved her. Where the ring was hidden in the coffee can. Where we found out about the baby. Where we lost the baby. Every joy and every grief happened in this tiny kitchen. I'm going to miss it. I'm not going to say that out loud. But I'm going to miss it.

I didn’t make mushroom soup that last night — I made these instead, because turnovers take longer, and I wanted to stay in that kitchen as long as I could. Folding the dough, crimping the edges, the smell of butter and spinach filling the apartment one more time: it felt right for a night that deserved something made with your hands. The kitchen where I learned to fold pierogi taught me that some recipes are really just excuses to stay somewhere a little while longer.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 42 min | Servings: 12 turnovers

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
5 oz fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 package (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cook the filling. Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened, then add garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
Mix the cheese. In a bowl, stir together cream cheese and feta until combined. Fold in the cooled spinach mixture until evenly incorporated.
Cut the pastry. On a lightly floured surface, unfold each puff pastry sheet and cut into 6 equal squares (12 squares total).
Fill and fold. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each square. Fold each square diagonally to form a triangle. Press edges firmly to seal, then crimp with a fork.
Egg wash and bake. Arrange turnovers on prepared baking sheets. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake 18–22 minutes, until deep golden brown and puffed.
Cool and serve. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Best warm, but good at room temperature too.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spinach Turnovers — One Last Thing Made in the Kitchen That Held Everything