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.
3.37 M 3.8/5 (981 reviews)
1 hour 9 min.
Easy
1 kg
5 IngredientsLast modified on: June 5th 2015
For 1 kg, you will need:
- 1
2 kgs fresh spinach - 2
40 g butter - 3
coarse salt - 4
salt - 5
pepper - Total weight: 2,040 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 55 min.
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 1 hour 9 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Start by washing 2 kgs fresh spinach in several changes of lukewarm water (not too cold, like for all earthy vegetables).
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Drain.
Stage 3
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.
Fold the leaf in two along the central vein.
Stage 4
Then with a knife, remove the central vein.
Stage 5
You should keep only the green and tender part of the leaf.
Stage 6
Second method: fold the leaf in half along the central vein.
Stage 7
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.
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.
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.
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
Tip in spinach leaves.
Stage 11 - 1 min.
Plunge the leaves down under the water, while waiting for it to come back to the boil.
Stage 12
As soon as it boils again, remove spinach from pan with a skimmer, and transfer to ice-cold water.
Stage 13 - 5 min.
As soon as spinach is completely cooled, drain thoroughly.
Stage 14 - 5 min.
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.
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
And finally set aside on absorbant paper to collect any remaining water.
The spinach is ready to be used in your recipe.
The spinach is ready to be used in your recipe.
Stage 16
See how to in this video.
Stage 17
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.
Spinach "wilted" in butter
If you have not blanched you spinach, take a high-sided pan, and melt 40 g butter in it.Stage 19 - 5 min.
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
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 recipe | 40 RDI=20 % | 60 RDI=6 % | 30 RDI=5 % | 700 RDI=40 % | 2,950 RDI: 40 % |
| Per 100 g | 1 RDI=1 % | 2 RDI=0 % | 1 RDI=0 % | 30 RDI=2 % | 140 RDI: 2 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 kg : 6.70 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 34
Spinach brik parcels
Crispy brik parcels, filled with a mixture of spinach, feta and chopped shallot.
118 K5 45 min.
Spinach and cashew brik rolls
Brik (or filo) pastry with a filling of cream cheese, cooked spinach and cashew nuts.
33 K 35 min.
Eggs "en cocotte" with spinach
A buttered ramekin, a layer of mushroom duxelles, a layer of spinach, a bit of cream, and an egg, in two layers, on top.
135 K5 1 hour 15 min.
Pan-fried cheese, egg and spinach toastie
Here's a new French twist on the famous American grilled cheese. This version plays on the great combination of spinach and eggs.
24 K 40 min.
Creamy rice with spinach
For this simple recipe, rice is mixed with a shallot cream before adding cooked spinach.
13 K 20 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Fresh spinach
Like these other recipes: Chilli chicken and spinach gratin, Koulibiak in pie dish, Rice and fresh spinach salad, Late Winter Soup with Fresh Spinach, Pistachio and spinach pesto, ... See them all 9
Butter
Like these other recipes: Salmon "en papillote" with small vegetables, Hazelnut and orange cake, Pavlova, Leek and potato soup, Almond mug cake for Mary, ... See them all 450
Coarse salt
Like these other recipes: Potted meat (rillettes), Stock-pot fish , Gravlax, How to prepare endives , Mackerel rillettes, ... See them all 16
Salt
Like these other recipes: Green beans with tomato and cheddar cheese, Gravlax, Colcannon, Kouign-amann, Pumpkin and red-bean tortillas, ... See them all 629
Other recipes you may also like
Kugelhof for Nanou
This recipe is emblematic of Alsatian baking, but a more personal version (and a bit richer).August 2nd 2019278 K4.4 3 hours 15 min.
How to choose an avocado well
It is not so easy to choose a good avocado, tasty and well ripe. Here are some tips to help you.June 28th 2011181 K4.4 1 min.
Smooth mixed vegetable soup
Any vegetables you have, cut into small pieces, mixed with a shallot cooked in butter, cooked together then blended. Even better when it's cold outside.January 3rd 2014341 K4.4 2 hours 3 min.
How to prepare a lettuce
It is much more economical to buy a whole lettuce than separate leaves in a plastic packet. And it's so simple to prepare - you can see how here.April 17th 2011397 K4.8 30 min.
Fruit crémeux
This kind of "crémeux" (it means "creamy", but contains no actual cream) is a basic recipe in the repertoire of French pastry chefs. It is smoother but less frothy than a mousse and uses gelatin to set it as it cools. Often used as a tart filling or in other desserts, crémeux is usually poured to...September 12th 2020174 K2.5 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 47 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.