The only trouble is rinsing it - it does take a few washes in cold water before you can be sure, that your spinach isn't full of sand and grit - but is is really worth the effort - you will not find a more healthy veggie right now - spinach is full of antioxidants, which works wonders for your cardiovascular system, it is very rich in iron, which helps the red blood cells to absorb more oxygen in the blood stream - restoring energy levels, increasing vitality and a general improvement of the quality of the blood. Spinach also has the highest level of vitamin K - which is important to maintain the bones.
But the most important thing - it tastes great......
A few days ago - we tried a new recipe - a kind of Sformato, flan or bake....we have been cooking and serving a spinach sformato for years - this is basically a ricotta based antipasto/starter - normally we make them in small ramekins as individual serves - great for presentation and so easy to plate, when your guests arrives and are seated at the table.
This time we made it more creamy and served it as a contorno - sooo good - rich, creamy and with the perfect aroma of fresh nutmeg - it worked great with our thin slices of calf's liver cooked in a touch of Marsala and sage - but you can use it for any types of meat or even fried fish - of the more fattier types.
600 g fresh spinach, rinsed and stems removed
butter to grease the oven tin or dish
3 eggs
250 g ricotta
25 g parmesan
1/2 a nut meg, grated
75 ml cream
sea salt and black pepper
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch your spinach briefly - we are talking seconds - drain and leave to cool. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely.
Butter your chosen dish generously and set a side.
In a large bowl add your eggs and beat them lightly. break in the ricotta, parmesan and nutmeg and mix lighly. Pour in the cream and give it another mix. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place in the preheated oven.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes - again depending on your chosen dish - you want the sformato to set - but also to stay a little creamy.
Remove from the oven and serve.