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Let's rehabilitate spinach

We are currently (as I write this) in the season of fresh spinach, and it is a delicious vegetable that unfortunately has a bad reputation among a lot of people, children and teenagers in particular.

I wonder if this lack of appetite isn't due to what I call, probably unfairly, "school food spinach"? That is to say a rather tasteless green purée, of a very unappetizing aspect, and that most children know, alas. And it's a pity, because spinach, well prepared, not chopped, is both delicious and healthy (but with little iron, despite Popeye, a little reference for those who were born before 1980).

But for spinach to stay good, you have to buy it in season, right now, close to home if possible, and prepare and cook it with care, that is to say very briefly.

You don't know how to do it? No problem, I'll show you.

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Keywords for this post:Spinach Cooking Recipe Method Blanching

Last modified on: May 7^th 2021

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The preparation

This is not very complicated, we treat them a bit like salad: plunged in cold water with vinegar to wash them, you drain, and it's finished.
It's a matter of taste, but if, like me, you don't like the hard part of the spinach leaf, the vein, you can remove it by pulling on it and put it in the compost, it separates from the leaf quite easily.
Well no mystery, it's a lot of work, you have to do it leaf by leaf, but the result is worth your efforts.

épinards retrait nervure centrale

Note that from now on (put them through the salad spinner first) you can already eat the spinach raw, in a salad for example, alone or with other things, it is already very good. It can also replace salad, for example in the burgers we talked about not long ago.

Cooking ways

There are 2 main ways to cook them:

1) Fallen ("Tombés" in French)

This is a rather simple method, rather fast: You put a large frying pan on high heat, with a big knob of butter or a little olive oil, and when all this is quite hot you put a good big packet of prepared spinach leaves in the pan.
Be careful it crackles a lot because of the water left on the leaves, you stir the leaves a bit and they will "fall", that is to say cook, in 2 or 3 minutes maximum.
Put aside, and repeat the operation until all your spinach falls.

épinards pour une tombée épinards tombés

2) Blanching

A little longer method: You boil a big pot of salted water, and you plunge in a big packet of prepared spinach leaves, stir a little and as soon as the boiling starts again, it's cooked (2 minutes max).
Remove from the water with a skimmer or spider and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking.
Drain once cooled, then pass to the salad spinner to dry. You can also consult these detailed explanations.

cuisson des épinards refroidissement rapide des épinards essorage des épinards

Whatever the cooking method you have chosen, the spinach prepared in this way is ready to be used in the recipe of your choice. It retains its beautiful emerald-coloured leafy appearance, especially when blanched, and its delicate taste.

As for the recipes, it is also a matter of taste, but spinach can be used in many recipes, whether raw or cooked!

I can't resist the pleasure of recommending an association that works incredibly well, it's fresh spinach with cream: For example a simple omelette in which you put cooked spinach, or spinach with cream and served with slices of hard-boiled eggs, a delight!

Tosum up: Eating spinach in season, prepared and cooked with care, is the guarantee of delicious seasonal recipes.

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