How to prepare spinach


How to prepare spinach
For most people (and me most of all), spinach brings back bad memories of canteens... But, well prepared, it's a fine and delicate vegetable which goes remarkably well with scrambled eggs, fish, and many another things. Here are two ways of preparing it.
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Last modified on: June 5th 2015

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For 250 g, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 52 min.
Cooking: 17 min.
All in all: 1 hour 9 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 10 min.
How to prepare spinach
Start by washing 500 g fresh spinach in several changes of lukewarm water (not too cold, like for all earthy vegetables).

Stage 2 - 2 min.
How to prepare spinach
Drain.

Stage 3
How to prepare spinach
To prepare the leaves, you need to remove the central vein, for that there are two methods:

Fold the leaf in two along the central vein.

Stage 4
How to prepare spinach
Then with a knife, remove the central vein.

Stage 5
How to prepare spinach
You should keep only the green and tender part of the leaf.

Stage 6
How to prepare spinach
Second method: fold the leaf in half along the central vein.

Stage 7
How to prepare spinach
Then detach the vein by pulling on the stalk, from the base towards the top (in the direction of the arrow), until it's completely detached.

Stage 8 - 30 min.
How to prepare spinach
Do this for all the leaves.

If you don't want to blanch the spinach, but just wilt it with a little butter, dry thoroughly in a salad spinner and go on to the following stage.

Stage 9 - 10 min.
How to prepare spinach

To blanch spinach

If you wish to blanch before cooking, which brings out the flavour, boil a large pan of water, then salt using 1 tablespoon of salt per litre of water.

Also prepare a large container, or your sink, full of water as cold as possible (ice-cold).

Stage 10
How to prepare spinach
Tip in spinach leaves.

Stage 11 - 1 min.
How to prepare spinach
Plunge the leaves down under the water, while waiting for it to come back to the boil.

Stage 12
How to prepare spinach
As soon as it boils again, remove spinach from pan with a skimmer, and transfer to ice-cold water.

Stage 13 - 5 min.
How to prepare spinach
As soon as spinach is completely cooled, drain thoroughly.

Stage 14 - 5 min.
How to prepare spinach
Then use a salad spinner to remove as much water as possible.

Note: you will sometimes read in other recipes that you should squeeze spinach in your hands to remove water. I don't think this is a good idea because it gives you hard blocks of spinach, with the leaves all stuck together, not so easy to use.

Stage 15
How to prepare spinach
And finally set aside on absorbant paper to collect any remaining water.

The spinach is ready to be used in your recipe.

Stage 16
See how to in this video.

Stage 17
How to prepare spinach
If you wish to eat it like this (and it is already excellent), you just need to heat it through in a frying pan with a knob of butter.

Stage 18 - 1 min.
How to prepare spinach

Spinach "wilted" in butter

If you have not blanched you spinach, take a high-sided pan, and melt 10 g butter in it.

Stage 19 - 5 min.
How to prepare spinach
As soon as it's fairly hot, add the spinach. If it won't all fit in the pan, wait until the first batch wilts, then add the rest.

Stage 20
How to prepare spinach
As soon as spinach wilts, salt and pepper, taste to check, it's ready.
Remarks
There is a a huge task of "spinach rehabilitation" to be done with children: "spinach is not inevitably the horrible green mush which you ate in the canteen"...
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe10 4 %20 1 %8 1 %180 9 %740 9 %
Per 100 g1 1 %2 0 %1 0 %30 2 %140 2 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk
How much will it cost?
  • For 250 g : 1.67 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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