I don’t think I’d ever had anything but canned spinach growing up, and it was pretty bad stuff. Nowadays, frozen spinach has taken over from the canned, and fresh leafy green spinach is still not an everyday commodity. The reason for this, besides perishability, is that not many people think that swishing spinach through three changes of water constitutes a fun time.
Spinach, an important vegetable in the diet (it’s chockablock with potassium, calcium, and vitamin A), has been cultivated for thousands of years in the southwestern part of Asia. New varieties are being developed, notably the plane-leafed New Zealand variety that withstands heat better than the usual curly, crinkled type most familiar to us.
Spring and fall are the best seasons for it, although cellophane packages of the fresh leaves can be found in supermarkets the year round. These, however, have been packed to last through shipping and never have the delectable flavor of just-picked fresh spinach, which is available right here and now on the East End of Long Island.
The Simplest Way
The best way to cook spinach is the simplest way: Wash it well, lifting it out of three waters to leave behind any sand; then remove the tough stems, tear the larger leaves but leave the small, tender inner leaves whole, and toss it into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook it just two or three minutes, then drain it in a colander. This preserves the most food value as well as its bright appearance and flavor. It is good served as it is with a light buttering and salt and pepper to taste, but this is also the basic preparation for most spinach dishes.
Spinach Frittata
Frittatas are good picnic food as they are good at room temperature as well as hot. This delicious dish, of Italian ancestry, is easy to prepare. Serves four.
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach leaves
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup sliced onions
8 large eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
4 or 5 leaves basil, shredded
2 Tbsp. minced parsley
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, sliced thin
6-8 stoned Calamata olives, sliced thin
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and saute the onions until they are soft but not browned. Beat the eggs together with the salt, cayenne, basil, spinach, and parsley. Pour this into the skillet and cook over low heat, lifting the edges of the frittata to run under the cooked portion (as you would a large omelet).
After about three minutes, arrange the tomato and olive slices over the top, sprinkle with the Parmesan and set in the oven until it is firmly set and very lightly browned on top. Serve hot from the skillet or turn out the frittata and cool to room temperature to serve later.
Spinach Noodle Pudding
This is adapted from a sweet-savory pudding I found in “The Greens Cookbook,” a vegetarian book by Deborah Madison and Edward Espe Brown. As I don’t care for the sweet aspect of it, I have eliminated the raisins and sweet spices. When there was no fresh spinach available, I have made this delectable pudding with fresh beet greens. Serves eight.
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup of ricotta
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sauteed onions
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. fresh, young spinach, well washed
2 pkgs. fresh spinach fettucine
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Combine the cream cheese with the ricotta and beaten eggs, milk, onions, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Remove any large stems from the spinach and plunge it into the boiling water for about three minutes. Remove and drain, pressing out as much moisture as possible with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir this into the egg mixture.
Boil the fettucine about two minutes, just slightly underdone, then combine it with the egg mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a large baking dish (a six to eight-cup souffle for example) and pour the mixture into it. Bake in the center of the oven until it is firm and nicely browned on top — about one hour. Remove it from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen it from the baking dish. You can either unmold the pudding onto a large warm platter, or serve it from its baking dish. Serve with room-temperature sour cream.
Spinach Soup
Here’s a light spring soup with an Asian twist if you use the miso broth which comes in foil packets, or add a splash of light soy sauce to the finished soup. This is one of my “diet” soups but I don’t let that keep me from enjoying it. Serves four.
4 cups chicken or miso broth
1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded
3-4 scallions, minced
2 cups raw, shredded spinach leaves
Pepper to taste
Bring the broth to the simmer. Slice the cucumber and add it to the broth along with the scallions and spinach. Return to the simmer for three minutes and add pepper to taste. This soup would also be good with tiny cubes of bean curd in it.
