Recipe: Spinach scones with cheddar cheese and garlic chives
Flaky and savory, these spinach scones celebrate spring. Debbie Arrington
It’s almost March and time for baking of the green – green variations of familiar foods in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
These easy, cheesy savory scones make the most of early-season spinach or other baby greens. It’s a way to use up garden thinnings – all those little plants that get pulled to make room for others to mature.
Chop the fresh spinach or greens by hand or pop the leaves in the food processor. It takes about 2 cups loosely packed leaves to make ½ cup finely chopped.
Green onions and chives are sprouting now, too. I used garlic chives; they also add a subtle garlic flavor was well as more bright green. Green onion tops (or thinnings) or other chive varieties are fine, too.
These scones have another plus – no eggs necessary!
This recipe freezes well. Make a batch now and be ready for any green occasion.
Spinach scones
Makes 8 scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter (1 stick)
½ cup low-fat milk
¼ cup cream
½ cup finely chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic chives
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut butter into cubes and add to flour mixture. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture.
Mix together milk and cream. Add to flour-butter mixture until just moistened. Fold in spinach, chives and grated cheese.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, gently knead dough 5 or 6 times until spinach and cheese well distributed.
Pat dough into an 8-inch round about 1-1/2 inches thick. With a sharp knife dusted with flour, cut the round into 8 wedges.
Live a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the wedges onto the baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and transfer scones to a rack to cool for a few minutes.
Serve warm.
(Note: These scones freeze well.)
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Food in My Back Yard Series
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of March 16
Make the most of dry breaks between showers. Your garden is in high-growth mode.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Prepare vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.
* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.
* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.
* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch-thick under the tree (but avoid piling it up around the trunk). This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cauliflower, broccoli, collards and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (To speed germination, soak beet seeds overnight in room-temperature water before planting.)
* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.
* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.
* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.
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