Welcoming the arrival of spinach season, Elisha Young (aka @elisha.eats on Instagram) has some suggestions for brightening up any dish with a cheerful pop of green
We’ve all seen Popeye chugging a can of spinach when he’s in a spot of trouble, using the high iron content to boost his superhuman strength. Sadly, eating spinach won’t magically make you stronger – but it’s still extremely good for you, loaded with vitamin K, minerals like manganese and the red-orange pigment, beta-carotene.
Spinach is an ingredient that’s rarely absent from my fridge, simply because it’s so versatile and delicious. The raw leaves are tender, with a sweet, mild taste that makes them excellent in a salad – or blended into a fruit smoothie for extra nutrients. Cooking spinach, meanwhile, transforms the flavour into something deeper, more robust and acidic, which works well in soups, stews, curries, dhals and pasta dishes (although be warned that spinach cooks down to almost nothing, so use double what you think you need!). If you’ve ever wondered why your teeth feel strange after eating it, that’s because it’s full of oxalic acid – when you consume the leaves, oxalate crystals coat your teeth and create that odd, gritty sensation. To avoid this, try steaming or blanching.
We’re used to supermarkets stocking this superfood year-round, but spring is actually when the freshest and most tender spinach is available. It’s also very easy to grow in the garden, and you can enjoy multiple harvests if you plant several different varieties. Although the supermarket is convenient, there’s nothing like enjoying the intense flavour of something picked only moments before eating.
If you’re not green-fingered, why not explore some of the Italian restaurants in Cambridge? Stazione, Tradizioni, Limoncello and Al Pomodoro all offer the classic pairing of spinach with soft cheese, where the creamy cheese is elevated and brightened by the green spinach. Of course, vegans also know how to show off a vegetable to its full potential, and the Tipsy Vegan features spinach in a hearty chickpea stew on the ‘small plates’ menu.
For home cooking, it’s difficult to suggest the best way to use spinach, because it pairs well with almost every savoury dish you can think of. However, for a surprisingly delicious weeknight dinner, I recommend creamed spinach pasta.
Salt some water for the pasta and set that to boil while you make the sauce. Fry freshly minced garlic with a large knob of butter until golden, then add spinach one handful at a time, wilting it down before adding more. Once the spinach is cooked, season to taste – be generous or the sauce will be bland. Cook the pasta (preferably something like spaghetti or tagliatelle) until al dente, reserving some of the water. Meanwhile, pour double cream over the garlicky spinach and reduce until slightly thickened, and add the pasta. Toss together until emulsified and creamy, turn off the heat and add large spoonfuls of ricotta, adjusting with the pasta water until the sauce is your desired consistency. Season to taste.
This dish might be simple, but it showcases perfectly the pure flavour of the ingredients. It’s fresh, creamy, aromatic with garlic, yet wholesome and packed with leafy greens. We might not quite be out of winter yet, but the spring shoots are starting to show – and they give us all something to look forward to.
