Yield: 4 servings
Prep and cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Ingredients
2 lbs fresh spinach (two or three bunches)
1 tbsp unsalted whole butter
2 tbsp finely minced shallots
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream, or 1/2 crème fraîche and 1/2 heavy cream
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 lemon wedges
Directions
1. Wash the spinach well, dry it, and pull out the large stems and veins. Don’t chop it yet; if you do, it will clog the strainer when you squeeze out the liquid.
2. Put the butter into a large pan over medium heat, wait until the foam subsides, and add the minced shallots. Sweat the shallots with a pinch of salt for a few minutes. Don’t brown them.
3. When the shallots have softened, add the spinach, turn up the heat and cover the pan. The trapped steam will help it to wilt, but toss it occasionally to prevent scorching. Remain attentive at this point: you must remove the spinach as soon as it’s wilted. Don’t cook it a minute longer than necessary.
4. When the spinach is wilted, turn off the heat, put it into a strainer, and press out as much liquid as you can with the back of a spoon or a small ladle. The liquid is full of flavor, so don’t discard it. Squeeze it directly into the pan, then set the spinach aside.
5. To the spinach liquid, add the heavy cream or the crème fraîche and cream, and the vermouth, and reduce it uncovered over medium-high heat until it’s thickened.
6. While the sauce is reducing, you can chop the spinach if you like, but if the leaves are small, you needn’t bother.
7. The sauce should be slightly thicker than you would normally want because the spinach will express more liquid when you reheat it, and thin the sauce somewhat. When the sauce reaches a good consistency, you can add the spinach or you can hold the dish. If you prefer to hold it, simply turn off the heat and cover the pan. When you’re ready, bring the sauce back to a boil and add the spinach just before serving. Otherwise, add the spinach now and stir it through to reheat it. Then taste it and season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
8. Serve it with a lemon wedge for each portion. The dish tastes wonderful as it is, although lemon juice and cream do make a fine pair. Therefore, I would supply the lemon and leave it optional.
The spinach will be bright green, and even retain a delicate crunch Although the vegetable itself might be mediocre, extracting the liquid and reducing it preserves what flavor it’s got. The hint of natural bitterness along with a few drops of lemon juice will balance the richness of the cream, while the flavor of shallots and black pepper in the background enhance the dish perfectly. This is simplicity, and luxury, at once. I doubt you could add a single ingredient to make it taste better. And of course, that’s a recurring theme for the Wired Gourmet: if you use quality ingredients, and cook them correctly, the thing itself always tastes good.
This method of preserving flavor and texture by setting the spinach aside as soon as it’s wilted, and extracting the liquid and reducing it while the spinach rests, can be applied to any recipe you like involving delicate leafy greens. But do try this once. It’s fattening, all right, but you’ll get more calories from a Big Mac or a Whopper—and what a waste of your calorie budget they are. So pass on the McRubbish at lunch, and instead, enjoy this fabulous side dish with dinner. It’s a far better bargain.
