Big Marthas Creamed Spinach Recipes

MARTHA'S MOM MRS. KOSTYRA'S CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Place spinach in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain, squeezing out and reserving excess liquid. Roughly chop spinach; set aside.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk; season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Thin with reserved spinach liquid. Stir in spinach. Sprinkle with nutmeg to taste and, if desired, top with a dollop of sour cream. Serve immediately.

EASY CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander; rinse with cold water until cool. Squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible; coarsely chop, and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add cream cheese and milk; cook, stirring, until cream cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in spinach. Simmer over medium heat until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Add nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.

CREAMED SPINACH FOR POPOVER SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Working in batches, steam spinach, covered, in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain. Let cool. Squeeze out and reserve liquid. Chop spinach. (You should have 4 1/2 cups.)
• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add flour, and cook, whisking, until raw flour smell is cooked off, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 2 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir in spinach. If mixture is too thick, thin with reserved spinach liquid. Stir in nutmeg. Continue to cook until warmed through. Serve immediately.

CREAMED SPINACH AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach and basil and cook until wilted. Immediately transfer to an ice-water bath. Drain and squeeze dry; coarsely chop and set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook until golden. Add fennel and celery and continue cooking until soft and translucent.
• Add cream and let reduce until thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add spinach, basil, and chile, if using; stir to combine. Cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Combine milk, spinach liquid and garlic in a 1-quart microwave-safe measuring cup or small bowl covered with a saucer, and microwave (or heat slowly in a medium saucepan) until very hot and steamy. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to soften garlic.
• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Add hot milk mixture all at once, then whisk until smooth. Stir in spinach; cook until sauce is thick and bubbly and spinach is tender but still green, about 5 minutes. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve hot.

CREAMED SPINACH III

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix heavy cream, butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
• Place spinach in a vegetable steamer, and steam until leaves are wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing out excess water with a large spoon.
• Coarsely chop spinach in a food processor, and gradually stir into the heavy cream mixture. Briefly return to boiling, then remove from heat.

CLASSIC CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Blanch the spinach. Bring 1 gallon water to a boil in a large pot. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Place the spinach in the boiling water. After 45 seconds (exactly), remove the spinach leaves with a slotted spoon, spider or tongs and drain in a colander. Let cool completely.
• Use your hands to press the spinach against the sides of the colander. When most of the liquid has been released, squeeze handfuls of the spinach to make sure all of the excess water has been removed. Set aside.
• In a wide, high-sided saute pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter to create a roux that will look like wet sand. Cook the roux for 3 minutes, stirring continuously to make sure it doesn't burn and it becomes a "blond" color. Add the milk to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure that the roux completely dissolves into the milk without lumping.
• Turn down the heat to maintain a low simmer. You're making a bechamel sauce, which is the base for the creamed spinach. Next, whisk in the cream and return the mixture to a simmer. Cook the bechamel until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Season the sauce with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Preheat a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften and become translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute or two.
• Add the cooked onion and garlic along with the drained spinach to the bechamel, folding to make sure it's completely coated with sauce. Season with the nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes, then taste the spinach. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and the nutmeg, and/or more cayenne if desired.

FAST AND EASY CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Pour olive oil into a large soup pot, place over high heat, add spinach, and cover. Cook for 1 minute, uncover, and lightly stir until most of the leaves are bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes. Quickly drain spinach in a strainer and transfer to a plate lined with 4 or 5 paper towels. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Transfer spinach to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
• Mix salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter in skillet, and stir shallot in the hot butter until just barely golden and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir seasoning mixture into shallot mixture and pour in cream. Raise heat to medium-high and reduce cream sauce to about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest.
• Reduce heat to low and toss spinach with cream sauce in skillet. Cook and stir until spinach is heated through and coated, about 2 minutes. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into spinach until thoroughly combined; serve immediately.