Spinach is a green leafy vegetable that can be enjoyed either raw or cooked. There are many ways to cook spinach, such as boiling, sautéing, and mashing like cream. Spinach can be boiled with nothing more than salt and water, but sautéed and mashed will require a few additional ingredients for the best flavor.
Ingredients
For All Methods
2 large bunches of spinach, about 450 g
For Boiling
1 - 2 tsp (4.8 - 9.5 g) salt
For stir fry
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- Salt to taste
To Make Creamy Spinach
- 1 tbsp (14.3 g) butter
- 1/4 cup (56.7 g) chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) whipping cream
- 1/8 tsp (0.59 g) nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Portion
About 4 servings
Step
Method 1 of 4: Preparing Spinach
Step 1. Cut the large stems of spinach
Use a sharp knife to cut the rootstock end of each spinach stalk or pluck it by hand. You don't need to cut the stems off the leaves as they are small and quite easy to eat.
Step 2. Fill a clean sink with cold or warm water
Soak the spinach in water for a few minutes to loosen any dirt. Run the wash water, rinse the spinach, then repeat the soaking and drying process one more time.
Step 3. Place the spinach in a salad spinner to drain the water
Turn on the spinner to spin the spinach leaves so the water goes away..
Alternatively, place the leaves in a colander and let them sit for 30 minutes or pat the spinach dry with a clean paper towel
Step 4. Cut or tear the spinach leaves into small pieces
Cut with a height of 5 to 10 cm.
Method 2 of 4: Boiling Spinach
Step 1. Place the spinach in a medium saucepan
Choose a pot with a capacity of 6 liters or more. The added spinach should only be about half a pot and no taller than this.
Step 2. Soak the spinach in water
Fill the pot with enough water to just soak the spinach. Make sure that there is at least 5-7.6 cm of free space between the surface of the water and the top edge of the pot to prevent the water from overflowing when it boils.
Step 3. Sprinkle salt to taste
Use about 1 to 2 teaspoons (4.8 - 9.5 grams) of salt. You only need salt to improve the flavor of the spinach, but not so much that it dominates the flavor of the spinach.
Step 4. Boil spinach in a saucepan on the stove over high heat
After the water starts to evaporate, start counting the boiling time. Boil spinach for 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 5. Drain the spinach by pouring the contents of the pot of spinach into a regular strainer or pasta strainer
Shake the filter to remove water.
Step 6. Immediately transfer the spinach to another pot of iced water
Let the spinach soak in the ice water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. This stage is called “shocking” because it shocks the material with very drastic temperatures, from boiling to cold. This will prevent the spinach from cooking further and prevent it from losing its bright green color.
Step 7. Drain the spinach one more time
Pour the contents of the pot of spinach and iced water into the pasta strainer and shake again to remove the water.
Method 3 of 4: Sauteed Spinach
Step 1. Heat 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) of olive oil in a large skillet
The skillet used should be about 30.5 cm in diameter. Choose a deep skillet or a skillet with moderately high side walls, and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Rotate the pan to coat the entire surface with oil.
Step 2. Add 3 chopped garlic cloves to the pan
Saute the garlic until it starts to brown. This should only take a minute or less. Don't let the garlic cook any longer, as it can burn if left alone for too long.
Step 3. Put the spinach in the pan
If necessary, press down with a spatula.
Step 4. Toss to coat spinach with oil and garlic
Use tongs or two spatulas to lift and flip the spinach. Flip the spinach a few times until you're sure all the leaves are evenly coated in the oil.
Step 5. Cover the pan
Leave the pan covered and cook the spinach, without turning, for one minute.
Step 6. Open the lid
Flip the spinach with tongs or a spatula to coat the spinach again with the oil.
Step 7. Cover the pan again
Cook for 1 more minute.
Step 8. Once the spinach looks wilted, open the lid and remove the pan from the stove
Drain the liquid from the pan if any.
Step 9. Add olive oil and salt to the spinach, if desired
Toss the spinach with tongs or a spatula before serving.
Method 4 of 4: Making Creamy Spinach
Step 1. Cook spinach by boiling for 1 minute
Follow the instructions above for how to boil spinach.
Step 2. Drain the boiled spinach using a large pasta colander
Then place the leaves on a clean thick paper towel and place another layer of paper towels on top of the spinach. Pat the spinach leaves with a paper towel until they are dry or until they are no longer wet.
Step 3. Take the leaves and arrange them onto a cutting board
After that, chop the spinach coarsely or in large pieces using a sharp knife.
Or, you can also use kitchen shears to roughly chop the spinach leaves
Step 4. Heat 1 tablespoon (14 1/3 grams) of butter in a 30 1/2 diameter skillet
Heat the butter over medium to medium-high heat until it melts and coats the surface of the skillet.
Step 5. Add 1/4 cup (57 grams) of chopped onion or shallot and 1 clove of minced garlic to the pan
Cook the onions, garlic, and butter for about 5 minutes until they are fragrant and lightly browned.
Step 6. Pour 1/2 cup (125 milliliters) (heavy cream whipping) into the skillet
Stir in the whipping cream to combine with the onions and garlic.
Step 7. Add 1/8 teaspoon (1/2 gram) of nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper
Stir and cook, uncovered, until the mixture begins to boil and thickens.
Step 8. Add the drained and chopped spinach to the boiling cream mixture
Stir so that the cream mixture completely coats the spinach. Reduce heat to medium-low and let pan contents simmer, still uncovered, for an additional 2 minutes. Cream and spinach will appear even thicker.
