Cookbook:Spinach
Spinach is a green vegetable used as an accompaniment to main dishes, and as an ingredient in many other dishes (the term florentine in a recipe indicates the presence of spinach). Young leaves can be eaten raw in salad, tacos, and burgers. Frozen spinach goes well on pizza.
Plain cooked spinach is best served steamed or boiled in a minimum amount of water for no more than five minutes. The bulk of the leaves reduces enormously in cooking. Allow about 100 g per serving and use the biggest pan you have. Serve with lemon juice, or perhaps with salt.
Spinach is a common ingredient in Indian cuisine, where it is known as saag. Try sprinking the raw leaves with garam masala before cooking for a slighly different and low sodium alternative to salt.
Warnings
- The oxalic acid contained in spinach can react with the calcium contained in milk to produce an icky scum on your teeth. You may wish to avoid serving milk with spinach.
- The oxalic acid contained in spinach can be harmful. About 10 pounds of spinach is fatal.
- The oxalic acid contained in spinach is bad for cast iron pans and carbon steel pans. Spinach will turn black when cooked in such pans.
- The oxalic acid contained in spinach (can you see a pattern here?) can prevent your body from absorbing iron and calcium. To improve iron absorption, spinach should be eaten with foods that contain vitamin C.