Here is an easy summer recipe that I put together quite by accident recently and it was so delicious that I thought I should share it.
Gather as much special tender spinach (flat-leaf tender young leaves) as you require for a good plate-full of salad (washed and dried in a tea towel); one or two cold quartered boiled eggs (or as many as you like); a handful of very fresh chopped or sliced white button mushrooms; and sweet black olives, whole (as many as you like – they are absolutely delicious!).
On a serving plate or bowl, place equal parts of your favourite olive oil and top-of-the-line balsamic black vinegar. Add a pinch of dried basil and a pinch of dried mint and sprinkle with fresh ground peppercorns. Add a little sweet paprika powder to the chopped hard-boiled eggs. There is no salt in this recipe (unless you crave it). Garnish with large shrimp or tomato wedges.
That’s it! Just add a portion of the spinach mixture, and you have as many individual servings as you need. Toss with two forks on your own plate (this way the leftover greens mixture can be placed in the fridge in a sealed plastic food bag for later in the day, or if you are lucky, for the next day’s lunch). Enjoy!
Here’s another spinach recipe you can enjoy any time of the year.
Wash spinach well to remove sand particles. Shake off excess water, but do not dry the leaves. Place in a covered skillet, and “sweat” the spinach the way you would onions, until spinach is “just wilted”. The excess water will be in the bottom of the pan. Drain spinach in a colander. Push out the excess water from the spinach and toss out any leftover water from the skillet.
In the same skillet, on medium high heat, cook finely chopped rashers of bacon until nearly crisp, but not crunchy. Remove bacon from pan and keep warm on a covered plate, leaving the stuck-on bits on the bottom of the pan. If there is a lot of excess fat, remove some of it, but not all. Leave perhaps three tablespoons of the bacon fat, for an average family-size serving of spinach.
In the same skillet, sauté a half-cup of finely chopped sweet white onions, until they are “just” done, not overcooked. When the onions are nearly cooked, add a smashed garlic clove, keeping the heat down. Careful not to burn the garlic or you won’t be able to eat it. Toss gently and add a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the chopped, cooked bacon back into the skillet. Turn off the heat and set aside to keep warm for a few seconds while you finish the spinach.
After all the excess moisture has been pushed out of the spinach, place it on a cutting board and gently chop with a sharp knife. Add chopped spinach to bacon, onion and garlic mix. Place in a serving dish that you have warmed with boiling water, because spinach cools rapidly.
Now deglaze the skillet with your favourite brandy or cognac. The alcohol will vanish, just leaving the flavour. Just a few tablespoons will do it. Scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan using an egg turner backwards and pour the spirits over the spinach mixture.
Serve with your favourite vegetables and meat for dinner.
This same mixture can be used for stuffing a rolled veal or pork roast, and can also be used to stuff an omelette or crepe for a nice light lunch or brunch. If you really want to go overboard, serve a dollop of sour crème with the omelette or crepe. YUMMMM! There won’t be leftovers.
The working title for Carolyne’s Gourmet Recipes cookbook is From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks. This kitchen-friendly doyenne has been honoured and referred to as the grande dame of executive real estate in her market area during her 35-year career. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid-70s and wrote a weekly newspaper cooking column, long before gourmet was popular as it is today. Her ebook, Gourmet Cooking – at Home with Carolyne is available here for $5.99 US. Email Carolyne. Scroll down to the comments at each recipe column. Carolyne often adds complimentary “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen” additional recipes in the Recipes for Realtors Comments section at REM.
