Wilted Spinach
Wilted spinach is an awkward name for a perfectly lovely dish. Spinach has scared off so many people, but this method of cooking yields a tender but not mushy green flavored with whatever you choose to add to it. It makes an excellent side to all sorts of dishes, but is also good stirred into others to add a pop of color as well as up the nutritional profile a bit. In this version I use a little butter to gild the leaves, but feel free to substitute olive oil or the cooking fat of your choice. It does need just a little fat of some kind to help aid in the absorbtion of nutrients, but it also helps carry the flavor of whatever aromatics you’re using to the rest of the dish. Garlic butter is a classic topping, and one I very much recommend.
Wilted Spinach
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced fine
16oz baby spinach leaves
Directions:
Melt the butter in a large pan with high sides. Add the garlic and increase heat to medium. When the garlic is just starting to turn golden add the spinach to the pan and toss around with a pair of tongs to distribute the butter. Keep moving the spinach around every minute or so to wilt evenly. Spinach is done when leaves are bright green all the way through, usually about 5 minutes or less. Spinach will give off a lot of water when cooked, so tilt the pan to one side to drain most of the water off before you move to a serving dish.
Notes:
-Use a big pan, but don’t worry if the spinach looks like it’s going to sit in a mound six inches above the top of your pan. The spinach cooks very quickly and the volume will reduce to a more manageable one in a minute or two if you keep moving it around.
-Toss leftover spinach with orzo, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and feta for a super simple lunch or stir a scoop into your favorite vegetable soup. There are a ton of uses for cooked spinach, be creative and you’ll be rewarded.
