Mother's Recipes
Creamed Spinach
This is a great way to serve spinach –especially to kids -- and it’s delicious with nearly everything. Although it’s a steakhouse staple, it’s just as delicious with meatloaf or roast chicken. We also serve it in an omelet filled with Asiago cheese.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh spinach leaves (about 10 packed cups or 4 bunches fresh spinach, stems trimmed)
- 3 tablespoons butter (divided)
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons four
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon divided, freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove stems from spinach leaves. Place leaves in a large bowl set in the sink and fill with water. Swish leaves around in the water to remove dirt and debris. Lift them out (so the sand stays behind) and place in a colander set in the sink. Rinse out the bowl, fill with water, and repeat the process until the water in the bowl ends up clean. Leave spinach in the colander to drain.
- Place a large (12- to 14-inch) straight-sided sauté pan or wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat for a couple minutes. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the shallots at the same time. Sauté until shallots start to soften, about 1minute. Increase heat to high and add spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until it wilts. (Let the first handful wilt before adding next handful, and stir after each addition). Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a colander to let excess moisture drain off, pressing down with the back of a spoon to squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium(4-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles fine sand, about 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk the milk into the roux a little at a time, allowing the roux to absorb the liquid before adding more. This will help avoid lumps. Return the mixture to a boil,then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to cook off any flour taste. (This sauce is called béchamel)
LOVE NOTE Béchamel is one of the French “mother sauces,” so called because it’s used as the base in other sauces. It’s incredibly easy to make and extremely versatile. Stir in shredded cheese and you have a quick, kid-friendly cheese sauce you can slather on everything from broccoli to pasta. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. - Stir the spinach and shallots into the saucepan. Cook for one minute to meld the flavors and serve.