I went to the mountains virtually, being inspired by a very famous and traditional Trentino Alto Adige dish named Strangolapreti, which means “priest chokers”…yes it’s hilarious, but creepy indeed.
Whatever, Trentino is a region in the North-East of Italy, the place where the magnificent Dolomites lie.
Spinach and ham quenelles
My Granmother used to make a very similar dish, called “ugly but good”.
Hers were really good particularly since she seasoned them with molten butter and sage, always a feast for my taste-buds!
So I made my version, balanced for my current necessities. I got rid of the butter, and swapped almost everything.
Of course the original can’t be beaten and during the winter season I can’t deny myself a treat every now and again.
I don’t have much spare time and I have to prepare meals in advance, often in a hurry, so I need something easy to make and this recipe meets all my requirements.
Spinach is a staple in my pantry, as well as in my shopping list.
I try to buy it as fresh as possible, but it’s good frozen too, as I used in this occasion.
Often in my recipes when I can’t find fresh or frozen spinach, I swap it for chard or white beet, but I never used those in this recipe, probably I should.
This recipe is a very simple one, easy to make and is an all in one dish. I love having them for a great post-workout meal.
The quenelle shape is easely moulded with two spoons , otherwise you can shape some little balls by hand, it works great as well plus it’s my granny’s style.
Let’s come to the macros * of the recipe
The nutritional facts label is at the bottom of the post.
How much did I spend **?
To make this dish, I spent a total of € 5.95 and € 1.48 per portion. Effortless meal put together in less than 50 minutes!
You will need
- mixing bowl
- high edge pot
- food processor
- 500 g Frozen spinach
- 6 Corncakes
- 160 ml Skimmed milk
- 100 g Diced Ham
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 70 g Pasteurised Egg whites
- 10 g Corn starch
- 80 g Whole-wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp Extra vergin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Tomato sauce
- 1 Tsp Nutritional yeast
- 2 pinches Salt and Pepper
- Cook the spinach in abundant boiling water for 5 minutes, then strain and squeeze it and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl shred the corncakes and pour milk on them, let them soak while the spinach cools down.
- Blend the spinach and add it to the mixing bowl along with the cornstarch and sifted whole-wheat flour.
- Homogeneously mixed, but not entirely smooth .
- Mix everything evenly and cover it with cling film and let it settle for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- When it's settled, pop it out of the fridge and shape the quenelles with two spoons.
- I often make little balls (about 3cm diameter) instead of quenelle, it is easier and it tastes the same.
- Toss them in the boiling salted water and let them cook for 4-5 minutes till they float to the surface. Using a strainer pull them out and put them on a soup plate.
- Heat the tomato sauce and pour it , seasoning with oil, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or some grated parmigiano.

Enjoy and have a great day,
Lety
When you make one of my recipes, take a picture, tag me on instagram @lemabor , I’ll be very glad to see your creations !
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