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Spinach

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Spinach

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:23 am

I've asked Tony to get me a small bag-o-spinach for my banana and spinach smoothie - my favourite concoction.
And he's come back with a jumbo bag that won't last at the rate I need it.

I was thinking of blitzing it, and freezing it in future portions. That's one option.

Is spinach a regular in your house, and what do you do with it?

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Re: Spinach

Postby Suffs » Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:33 am

One of those large bags is a meals worth for the two of us as an accompaniment to a main meal :yum but if you’re not as greedy as us, we also use it in a quiche with salmon or smoked mackerel, in a spanakopita, a cheese and spinach omelette, as a base with a topping of smoked haddock under a cheesy topping, added to dhal, spinach soup, and of course added to Eggs Benedict ... we eat lots of spinach :D

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Re: Spinach

Postby DEB » Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:36 am

You can buy frozzen spinach, I offen do, So I think if you blanched it would frezze

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Re: Spinach

Postby sunflower » Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:51 am

Morning Gill, I use a lot of spinach. It's very versatile. If you just want to use for smoothie, blanch the remaining for couple of seconds, drain and squeeze out some of the excess water, divide and form into small balls or patties then freeze and use when needed. Frozen spinach like this is also good for curries.

Young spinach leaves are great in salad

Many recipes for cooked spinach
1. Spinach with feta or ricotta make good filling for filo pastry or mini open pie
2. Creamed spinach is great as a side dish or eaten with pasta
3. Spinach and chickpea make tasty Indian vegetables dish
4. Spinach, cooked potato and cheese sauce make great tray bake

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Re: Spinach

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Apr 26, 2020 10:10 am

Good morning Suffs, DEB and Sunflower.

open pie


I think I'll make a pie.
A quiche as you say - that's an excellent suggestion. I've got smoked salmon in the freezer.

I absolutely adore dahl anything too. But we had a belter of a curry on Friday, and I know Tony won't want that sort of food for a while.
Quiche is an excellent suggestion for this bag.

I've bought frozen spinach before, but haven't liked it as much as fresh.

I also saw a tip somewhere, to blitz fresh spinach in the food processor, rest the bowl at an angle, and the liquid "decants" to the bottom corner, and you are left with dry fresh spinach without having to cook it, and without the wetness in your dips or other concoctions.

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Re: Spinach

Postby PatsyMFagan » Sun Apr 26, 2020 10:20 am

I'm with you Gill ... I really only like spinach raw, but yesterday used some frozen stuff for a fish and lentil recipe I cooked for my supper . That was the only thing a about the dish I didn't really like :thumbsdown

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Re: Spinach

Postby halfateabag » Sun Apr 26, 2020 10:24 am

The spinach and sweet potato pakoras were very good and those are 2 of 'his' least fave veggies. We finished them off yesterday for lunch with kajup manis (sp) I still have half a bag of S. so will make some sort of curry to accompany the chicken tandoori on Tuesday.

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Re: Spinach

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Apr 26, 2020 10:35 am

Patsy, what fish and lentil recipe did you do?

Hi Teabag.
I think when we are next in the mood for Indian dishes, I should make pakora.
Who doesn't like them, I ask myself .............

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Re: Spinach

Postby liketocook » Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:29 am

A lot of spinach dishes I make are already covered but one thing I do often is use it for the basis of a green pasta sauce blending cooked spinach with broccoli and/or peas, pesto, some pasta cooking water, lots of pepper and a tablespoon or so of cream/crème fraiche/cream cheese (optional).

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Re: Spinach

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:14 pm

I made an excellent spinach spaghetti dish some years ago.
I couldn't fault it, twas so fresh and delicious. But my husband wasn't so keen, Liketocook.

Still cannot get my head round why not. At the time, I think it was because it had no meat in it. He's better now at accepting meals without meat, but only just!

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Re: Spinach

Postby PatsyMFagan » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:17 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:Patsy, what fish and lentil recipe did you do?



It's a SW recipe from their book Meals for One: This one is Cod with Crispy Bacon and Lentils. I didn't worry too much about removing every trace of fat (from the bacon) and used oil instead of that 1 cal spray :roll: I also used Sea Bass fillets instead of Cod as I'm not a lover of cod.

If it's allowed on here I can post the recipe :thumbsup

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Re: Spinach

Postby Uschi » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:22 pm

If you make a quiche, try adding rocket (about a quarter or a third of the leaf mass). It sounds overpowering, but the two are a great combo.

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Re: Spinach

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:50 pm

Found it, Patsy, I think: https://pocketmags.com/slimming-world-m ... on-lentils

If only Tony liked rocket, Uschi. That's an excellent tip.

I have a sage sauce recipe that asks for 2 x handsful of sage. It sounds overbearing
but is quite the opposite.
And a Keith Floyd recipe from Sat Kit back in the day. Asking for 2 - 4 tablesp of cinnamon - :shock:
It's divine.

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Re: Spinach

Postby KeenCook2 » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:54 pm

I make spinach pesto with about 100g of it. Also, OH does a wonderful Claudia Roden Rice and Spinach Cake, torta di riso e spinaci. Funnily enough, we had it yesterday. The basic recipe uses 500g of fresh spinach but we frequently have it with less as we rarely have the full quantity.

It is absolutely delicious and very straightforward. We make it in a 2lb bread tin.

A quick google came up with this: https://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/ris/to ... spin.shtml

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Re: Spinach

Postby scullion » Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:32 pm

saag aloo is one of my favourites along with this gigantes recipe from northern greece. i often make a hybrid between regular gigantes plaki and that one if there isn't enough spinach (or chard) to hand.
i can't find the site to link to the recipe for regular gigantes plaki that i usually make but could post the recipe if anyone wanted it (it is rather good).

i'm pretty sure it's the recipe from this site with a few adjustments (minus the bacon and subbing a bit of tomato paste for the ketchup - and minus the yellow pepper - the one we had in greece didn't have that many peppers in).

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Re: Spinach

Postby liketocook » Sun Apr 26, 2020 2:37 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:I made an excellent spinach spaghetti dish some years ago.
I couldn't fault it, twas so fresh and delicious. But my husband wasn't so keen, Liketocook.

Still cannot get my head round why not. At the time, I think it was because it had no meat in it. He's better now at accepting meals without meat, but only just!

I've added cooked ham, chicken or bacon to it at times which might appease a dedicated carnivore ;)
Another favourite here is a keema style curry made with lamb mince, aubergine and spinach. My nephew who isn't keen on either spinach or aubergine had three helpings the last time I made it lol!

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Re: Spinach

Postby Pampy » Sun Apr 26, 2020 3:34 pm

I use spinach in curries, fish/egg florentine dishes, with salmon in pasta...
Last edited by Pampy on Sun Apr 26, 2020 3:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Spinach

Postby PatsyMFagan » Sun Apr 26, 2020 3:37 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:Found it, Patsy, I think: https://pocketmags.com/slimming-world-m ... on-lentils


That's the one :thumbsup

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Re: Spinach

Postby Seatallan » Sun Apr 26, 2020 3:44 pm

Like Suffs, me and Mr S can easily get through a big bag of spinach as an accompliment. However, here's a spinach recipe I do a lot (and can thoroughly recommend):

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lem ... -chickpeas
Food, felines and fells (in no particular order)

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Re: Spinach

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Apr 26, 2020 5:23 pm

I've just remembered a lovely recipe for lentils (any kind of whole lentil works) and spinach with lots of fresh ginger, from Madhur Jaffrey

https://www.copymethat.com/r/cUjKh3H/wh ... h-and-gin/

I often use those frozen pillows of whole leaf spinach, the trick seems to be to put it in a fairly fine strainer or colander over a bowl and let it defrost, give it a little squeeze, then use as fresh with a slightly reduced cooking time (or the same if the recipe is for baby leaf). If I forget I put it (dry) into my microwave steamer and run defrost for slightly less time that normal for the weight, has the same effect for a small amount, but not so good for a larger quantity

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