This week’s recipes focus on the widely used and beloved spinach leaf. Made famous by the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man in the late 1920s, it’s widely associated with health and wellness. I certainly think of Popeye cracking cans of it open and of his bulging biceps every time I see a bag.
For anyone who has worked in a professional kitchen, spinach will awaken the never-ending fear of never having enough. You could order a cargo ship’s load of this leafy green and barely survive an 80-cover service. The key to cooking it is to add it to a dry pan with a touch of salt, being careful here as it takes very little seasoning for some reason, and allowing it to wilt before squeezing out any excess water in a cloth. From here, we can upgrade a host of dishes.
Spinach, artichoke and jalapeño dip with home-made crostini. Photograph: Harry Weir
The first recipe this week is inspired by a lovely Sunday just before Christmas. Our group of chefs had the annual meet-up. There was a time when this involved a variety of feasting, partying and bad behaviour. In recent years it has descended into the chaos of sitting around a kitchen table with a glass of wine and talking about the aforementioned feasting, partying and bad behaviour. I certainly thanked myself for this the next day.
The deal was everyone brought a bottle, and something to eat. Thankfully for me, a number of guests had a few Michelin stars to their names. A whistle-stop tour around the menus of Ireland awaited when it came to the snacks. As is often the case at these things, the simplest fare stole the show. In fact, it didn’t even come from a restaurant kitchen or a chef, it was the next-door neighbour’s dip.
Jacinta is the cook in question, and she smashed it out of the park. It’s something you’ll see on menus regularly in the US but not as often here. Mopped up with bread, crisps, nachos or the fancier crostini I’ve presented in the first recipe here, it is the perfect accompaniment with a glass of something nice. And goodness knows we all need that at this point in the month.
Roasted striploin steak with creamed spinach and nutmeg. Photograph: Harry Weir
The second dish is really all about the creamed spinach. This is a steakhouse classic and quietly delicious when cooked the right way. I’ve added some unconventional steps, but I believe they really add to the flavour.
By cooking the sauce in the pan used for the steaks, we are absorbing all those meaty morsels from the base of the pan. The addition of the Parmesan rind is a handy tool to add some punch with an ingredient that would otherwise have been en route to the bin.
Lastly, grating a load of nutmeg along with some seasoning at the end brings it all together, nutmeg being the classic spice for this superb side dish. You will see recipes that also include some Tabasco or Dijon mustard at the end, while many larger restaurants will actually use frozen, cooked spinach here. It won’t taste as good but it’s an option if you’re tight on time. Two new ways to add some leafy goodness to your life.
Recipe: Spinach, artichoke and jalapeño dip with home-made crostiniRecipe: Roasted strip loin steak with creamed spinach and nutmeg
Dining and Cooking