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SPINACH RECIPIES CARROT SOUP WITH SPINACH 450 g (1 lb) carrots, scrubbed Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a food processor or blender. Add a small amount of cooking liquid and purée vegetables. Return purée to saucepan with stock. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Place spinach in a food processor or blender. Add 240 ml (8-1/2 fl oz) of soup to spinach and purée. Stir spinach purée into soup and serve hot with croutons. SPINACH AND CHEESE ROLLS 2 tbsp olive oil Preheat oven to 200C/ 400F/ Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions until tender Add the spinach and heat until it has started to wilt, then add the dill and feta cheese. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then mix in the egg and sour cream. Take one sheet of pastry at a time and brush with the butter. Top with another sheet of pastry and then cut into 3 strips. Spoon 1 tablespoon of spinach mixture on one end of the strip and roll it up, tucking in the edges. Brush the end with more butter and seal. Repeat this process until you have finished the pastry and mixture. Place the rolls on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes. Serve immediately. SPINACH AND RICE GRATIN 450 g spinach, washed and stemmed Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C/ Gas Mark 4. Blanche the spinach, squeeze dry and chop finely. Heat the oil in a fry pan and sauté the onion until it softens. Add the spinach and toss for a minute or two. Add the thyme and nutmeg and remove from the heat. Toss with the rice and cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the mixture into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 30 minutes. SPINACH AND RICE SOUP 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped Heat half the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion garlic, herbs, lemon zest and spices and gently fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add the remaining oil, then add the rice and stir for 1 minutes until all the grains are glossy. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir the spinach and pesto into the soup and cook a further 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired. SPINACH AND TOMATO SALAD 250 g spinach, washed and stemmed Pat the spinach leaves dry and then tear the leaves. Peel and chop the eggs and then mix them in a large salad bowl with the garlic, onion, lemon juice and vinegar. Add the spinach, toss well and serve immediately. SPINACH AVOCADO AND BACON SALAD 100 g smoky streaky bacon Take the rind from the bacon and chop it into small bits. Fry it gently in a pan until the fat begins to run, then turn up the heat and cook till crisp. Arrange the spinach leaves in a bowl, tearing them into manageable pieces if the leaves are large. Peel the avocados, cut them in half (lengthways) and take out the stone. Dice the flesh. Scatter the cress, onions, avocado and bacon on top of the spinach. Mix the ingredients for the dressing together and pour over the salad. CANNELLONI STUFFED WITH SPINACH 8 cannelloni tubes Preheat oven to 190C/ 375F/ Gas Mark 5. First prepare the filling by melting the butter in a pan and then add in the spinach. Cook the spinach until it has wilted and then remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and Ricotta and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Beat in the cream and eggs and for a thick paste. Set aside and leave to cool. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the olive oil. Add the cannelloni and cook for about 10 minutes or until it has begun to soften. Drain and set aside. Whilst waiting for the filling and cannelloni to cool, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. When it has formed a roux gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Add the bay leaves, bring to a simmering point and cook for 5 minutes. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Spoon the filling into a piping bag and then pipe it into the cannelloni tubes. Spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of a baking tray and then arrange the tubes in a single layer on top. Pour over the remaining sauce and then sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sauce is brown and bubbling. Serve garnished with fresh herbs. CREAMED LEMON SPINACH 1 1/4 tsp unsalted butter Melt butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté onion and garlic about 6 minutes until tender. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to high and whisk 2-3 minutes, or until mixture boils and begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. SPINACH PESTO 2 cups spinach, washed and stemmed Place the spinach, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Blend on a low speed to crush and mix the ingredients. Now place the machine on high speed and add the olive oil in a steady stream. Blend until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. You may need to stop occasionally and give the ingredients a stir. Once everything has pureed transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheeses. Blend thoroughly. WARM SPINACH SALAD WITH EGG AND BACON 4 free range eggs Chop the onions, mushrooms and bacon rashers into 1/4inch pieces and cube the bread in much rhe same size. Arrange the spinach and watercress on 2 large plates. Poach the eggs and while they are sitting in the hot water, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a heavy based fry pan. When the pan is very hot, fry the croutons until golden brown-about 1 minute. Remove them and drain on kitchen towel. Add the remaining oil to the pan and again wait until it is very hot before adding the bacon and onion. Toss around in the pan until toasted and brown. After about 4 minutes add the mushrooms and toss for another 2 minutes. Season with the pepper then add the sherry and sherry vinegar allowing it a few seconds to bubble before reducing the heat. Transfer the egg on top of the spinach and watercress then pour the contents of the pan over everything. Top with the croutons and serve. SHREDDED SPINACH AND BACON 1 tbsp olive oil Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Cook the bacon for 4-5 minutes or until almost crisp. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until spinach has just wilted. Serve hot. LEMON RICE WITH SPINACH 225 g Basmati rice Boil the rice until cooked. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Boil or steam the spinach with water and a little salt for 6-8 minutes and then drain. Puree the spinach in a blender and mix with the cooked rice. Stir in the lemon juice and use salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a fry pan, add the ginger, chilli and spices and sizzle until they split and crackle a little. Pour over the spinach and rice and serve immediately. TOMATOES STUFFED WITH SPINACH, RICE AND CHEESE 6 medium to large tomatoes Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Cut a 1/2-inch slice from the top of each tomato. Scoop out the seeds and pulp, leaving the shell intact. Sprinkle the inside of the tomatoes with some salt and turn them upside down on the roasting rack to drain while you prepare the stuffing. Heat a wok or large pan over a high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and spring onions, then reduce the heat. Sauté the mixture until the spring onions have softened, which will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chard and sauté for a further 2 to 3 minutes or until it has wilted. Add the rice, soy sauce, pine nuts, and oregano. Remove from the heat. Stuff each of the tomatoes with about a spoonful of mixture and place them in a shallow greased roasting pan with a little space between them. You could prepare up to this point early in the day and the cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Return them to room temperature before putting them in the oven. Bake uncovered until the tomatoes are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and turn the oven down to its lowest setting. Sprinkle the cheese over the tops of tomatoes, return to the oven and heat until the cheese has melted about 1 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully; they burn quickly! Serve immediately. SPINACH, BACON AND HERB PIE Optional additions include watercress, mushrooms and courgettes. Serves 4 butter to grease dish Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas mark 4. Butter an ovenproof flan dish. Roll out the pastry and use half to line the dish. Fry the bacon over medium heat until lightly cooked, and spread over the pastry. Sauté the onions in a little butter over a medium-low heat until soft, and mix with the spinach and herbs. Spread the mixture over the bacon. Whisk the eggs and milk together, season with salt and pepper, and pour onto the spinach mixture. Use the remaining pastry to cover, and seal the edges. Make a small hole in the pastry lid, glaze the lid with a little milk or beaten egg, and cook for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden. SAUSAGE PASTA FAGLIOLI WITH SPINACH A tasty and simple twist on a classic. Serves 4-6 400 g (14 oz) cooked cannellini beans (tinned beans are fine) 200 g (1/2 lb) any sausage, skins removed 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 400 g tin plum tomatoes in juice 240 ml chicken stock 1/2 teaspoon salt 50 g (2 oz) cooked small shell pasta 100 g (4 oz) spinach, big stems removed, leaves cut in strips grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a spoon. With a slotted spoon, remove sausage meat and put into a bowl. Reduce the heat to medium. In drippings and olive oil, cook the onions until tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break up the tomatoes if whole. Add chicken stock, salt, beans, and 480 ml water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes then add the sausage meat and heat through. Just before serving, stir in spinach and cooked pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. STUFFED PANCAKES This recipe comes from Ros Speed-Andrews, one of our customers pancake batter Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 5/190°C/375°F. Take the batter mixture and stir in the chives or parsley. Then wash and dry the spinach and remove any tough stalks. Melt 20 g butter in a pan and add the spinach. Cook on high for about 2 minutes until soft. Add the salt and pepper. Squeeze the water out of the spinach with the back of a spoon and leave it to one side. Cook the mushrooms in a little butter for 2 minutes then add to the spinach with 50 g of grated cheese. Put a spoonful into the centre of each pancake (you need about 8) roll up and place in a gratin dish. Top with the bechamel sauce, grated cheese and freshly grated nutmeg. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown. STIR FRIED SPINACH IN GARLIC SAUCE Serve atop egg fried rice! 4 side servings 60ml chicken stock Combine the stock, soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds, or until garlic is golden. Add the spinach in batches, stir-frying until each batch is wilted slightly before adding each new one. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted evenly and the sauce is thickened. Garnish with the sesame seeds. LUNCHTIME QUICHE Quick and easy with a light puff pastry base - does life get any better? Serve with salad for 4 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed Preheat your oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6. Squeeze any water out of the cooked spinach. Roll your puff pastry out and put it in the bottom of a large pie, flan or quiche dish. Trim the edges. Whisk the cream cheese in a bowl until it is smooth then beat in the cream and eggs. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake the quiche for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. SPINACH BREAD PUDDING BAKE A savoury bake to serve alongside your roast and veg, or as a light meal with salad. 4-6 servings 400g fresh spinach leaves and stems Blanch the spinach in a pan with a small amount of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain well, pressing out excess water through a sieve, and chop roughly. Spread the bread slices thinly with butter. Grease a large, shallow rectangular ovenproof dish and line the base and sides with some of the bread. In a frying pan over medium heat, lightly fry the onion in butter or oil for 5 minutes; add the spinach, and season with a little salt and pepper. Add the spinach mixture, the remaining bread slices and the cheese to the dish in layers, finishing with a layer of cheese on top. Beat the eggs with the milk, and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour slowly over the whole dish and set aside for 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and the custard has set. SALMON FILLETS WITH BACON AND WILTED SPINACH Serves 4 4 portions skinless salmon fillet (about 150g each) Preheat grill, with the grill pan in the centre of the oven. Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt and pepper, then spread one side with mustard. Wrap 2 bacon slices cross-wise around each fillet. Brush with olive oil or melted butter and arrange fillets on the preheated rack. Grill for 4 minutes; turn over and grill until fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Meanwhile, fry onion in the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until beginning to brown; add spinach and cook covered, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve the fillets on top of the wilted spinach. |