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.
3.4M 978 3.8
Grade this recipe:

Last modified on: June 5th 2015

Keywords for this recipe:
For 500 g, you will need:

Change these quantities to make: 250 g 500 g 1 kg 1 kg 500 g
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
PreparationCookingStart to finish
52 min.17 min.1 hour 9 min.
At what time:
  • When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
    When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ?
  • Work this out...

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 10 min.
How to prepare spinach
Start by washing 1 kg 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 20 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
Whole recipe
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
352 Kcal or 1,474 Kj20 gr30 gr17 gr
18 %8 %3 %3 %
Per 100 g
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
34 Kcal or 142 Kj2 gr3 gr2 gr
2 %1 %<1 %<1 %
% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).
Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk
How much will it cost?
  • For 500 g : 3.34 €

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 recipes that use this recipe

Spinach and Mushrooms with Pesto
Spinach and Mushrooms with Pesto

For this simple recipe, thinly sliced and sautéed mushrooms, accompanied by cooked spinach, are combined with a pesto sauce.
7,471 17 min.
Spinach brik parcels
Spinach brik parcels

Crispy brik parcels, filled with a mixture of spinach, feta and chopped shallot.
111K5 43 min.
Parcels of fish fillet in spinach
Parcels of fish fillet in spinach

These parcels are made with small pieces of fish fillet, wrapped in a blanched spinach leaf and lightly fried in butter. They can be served with a salted white wine sabayon (as in the recipe of scallops with crunchy vegetables), a beurre blanc, a dash of olive oil with herbs, or any other sauce of...
228K5 2 hours 23 min.
Thin spinach and potato tart
Thin spinach and potato tart

A savoury tart with a thin puff pastry base, crushed potatoes, spinach, bechamel sauce and topped with a sprinkling of grated cheese.
20K5 58 min.
Pan-fried cheese, egg and spinach toastie
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.
18K 36 min.
See all recipes that use it
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Crème brulée
Crème brulée
Crème brûlée (burned cream) is quite easy to prepare: it's a simple egg-cream dessert. The only difficulty is in making the delicious crunchy caramel layer on top. The perfect crème brulée (for me) is a cold and soft cream, with on top a nice hot caramel crust. This is a completely new version...
1.6M 74.3 4 hours 38 min. December 31th 2011
Scrambled eggs with butter-fried bread and fresh spinach
Scrambled eggs with butter-fried bread and fresh spinach
Fresh spinach, butter-fried bread and scrambled eggs: simply delicious.
284K3.8 2 hours March 18th 2013
How to cook rice in rice-cooker
How to cook rice in rice-cooker
Cooking rice in a specially adapted "rice-cooker" is practical and quick: you don't have to watch it during cooking, it's fast (15 minutes) and the rice-cooker switches automatically to "keep warm".
900K 24.9 20 min. February 21th 2011
Fresh spinach with cream
Fresh spinach with cream
Fresh spinach, simply wilted, reheated in a sauce of thickened cream with shallot, and served with quarters of hard-boiled egg.
338K3.8 1 hour 43 min. September 29th 2012
Tapenade
Tapenade
Tapenade is a classic of Mediterranean cuisine, basically a purée of black olives and olive oil. This version is little more sophisticated, with a less marked olive flavour.
181K 14.1 13 min. November 21th 2010
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-03-24)

Your first name or nickname
Your e-mail
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post your comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
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.
I am not a leaving thing
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.

Back to top of page