Friday, September 30, 2011

Kitchen Tip: Spinach without the Grit

Last night I made some delicious spinach -- with just a little butter. I had two bunches of organic spinach from last week's co-op delivery. And it looked beautiful! But, of course, dirt clung to the stems and leaves. This used to be daunting to me -- I've cooked one too many gritty spinach dishes. But no more! And with this cooking tip from the good doctor, yes my husband does know a thing or two in the kitchen,  I'll share my secret to no-grit spinach.

First, do a preliminary wash of your spinach. Cut the stems off and wash again. Now here comes the key part: get a large bowl -- I use a giant plastic tupperware bowl that I bought 20 years ago. Fill it with salted water -- I dump about 1/4 c. of salt per 3 to 4 quarts of water. Stir to dissolve the salt. Then submerge your spinach. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then gather the spinach with your hands and rinse in the sink. If you look in the bottom of the bowl, you'll see all the dirt bits on the bottom! Yay salt (which makes it do that). Now pour out the salted water (and dirt) and rinse the bowl.

We're not done yet. Repeat the process with the salt and water in the big bowl with that same bunch of spinach. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then rinse. Now you're ready to cook the spinach however you desire. No grit, not too much fuss. Bon Appetit!

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