- Spinach
Beyond Popeye
- by Hope Pryor
As a child, I use to watch the
cartoon character Popeye squeeze a can of spinach open with his
bare hand and inhale it in one big gulp. Within moments he would
be transformed into a muscle-bound hero ready to save his pencil-thin
girlfriend, Olive Oyl, from the devious exploits of Bluto...or
was it Brutus? I was convinced back then that if I were to eat
my spinach, I'd have muscles just like Popeye and thus protect
myself from the neighborhood bully who just happened to be a
hefty-sized girl. There were a few problems with that theory...I
could never get past the look, taste or texture of "canned
spinach". Fact is, I still dislike the soggy stuff to this
day. (Luckily, I could run faster than bully-girl!)
Despite my early encounter with
canned spinach, I love the taste of fresh spinach and thankfully
it is readily available year-round, plus it can now be purchased
pre-washed which saves a busy cook both time and effort. Spinach
has dark green leaves that, depending on the variety, may be
either curled or smooth.
Having fresh spinach on hand
is not always possible. That's where the frozen variety of spinach
comes in handy. Frozen spinach is very suitable in recipes calling
for "cooked" spinach. (Here's a little hint--don't
bother "cooking frozen spinach according to package directions"
when a recipe directs you to. Simply lay it out early in the
day or defrost the package in the microwave oven and then carefully
squeeze as much liquid from the vegetable as you can...while
being cautious of splatters!)
Cook's Clever Tips: Spiffy Spinach
Tips
- When purchasing fresh spinach,
choose leaves that are crisp and dark green with a nice fresh
fragrance.
- Avoid spinach leaves that are
limp, damaged or have yellow spots.
- Keep fresh spinach refrigerated
in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
- Unwashed fresh spinach, which
is usually very gritty, must be thoroughly rinsed before using.
- Spinach may be used raw in salads,
or cooked (usually by boiling or sauteing) and used as a vegetable
or as part of a dish.
- Since fresh spinach shrinks
when it is cooked, count on one pound of the fresh leaves yielding
about 1 1/2 cups cooked.
- A little trivia you may or may
not know...many dishes that use spinach as an integral ingredient
use the phrase "Florentine"
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