Excerpted from Myra Goodman’s The Earthbound Cook.
This is the way spinach is cooked in Italy—with lots of garlic and a hint of red pepper. Baby spinach is mild and tender, so it cooks in a flash. Infusing the olive oil with garlic before adding the greens builds flavor, and by removing the cloves and then returning them at the finish of the dish, you avoid burning the garlic. Raw spinach is voluminous, so use your largest skillet. Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring in more as each batch wilts, until you have fit the entire quantity into the pan. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before you serve the dish adds a nice note of brightness and balances the richness of the oil.
If you substitute mature spinach in this recipe, be sure to remove the stems and blanch it first, taking care to squeeze out all of the moisture before you add it to the oil in the skillet.
Baby Spinach with Garlic and Lemon
Print RecipeIngredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, lightly smashed
- Pinch of dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1½ pounds baby spinach, well rinsed and patted dry if needed
- Sea salt
- 1 lemon, halved
Instructions
Warm the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-low heat, and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is lightly golden and softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the garlic from the skillet with a slotted spoon and chop it fine; set it aside.
Raise the heat to high and add a large batch of spinach to the skillet. Once the spinach begins to wilt, add more, and continue in this manner until all the spinach is wilted, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain the pan of any liquid that may have accumulated. Stir in the reserved chopped garlic, and season with salt to taste.
Squeeze lemon juice to taste over the spinach, and serve immediately.
About the Book:
A cookbook with a conscience, from an author who knows the world of responsible eating as well as anyone. Is cage-free the same as free-range? Is grass-fed worth the price? What’s better: farmed salmon or wild? Organic salad that’s been shipped across the country, or local salad grown with pesticides? To nuke leftovers in the microwave or crank up the oven? Myra Goodman—co-owner of Earthbound Farm, the country’s largest producer of organic produce and other products, inspiration behind the Earthbound Farmstand Café, and author of Food to Live By—now brings both sides of the dinner dilemma together by showing us what to shop for, and how to cook it.
The Earthbound Cook turns dilemma into joy—in full-color. It pairs 250 sumptuous recipes with all the information cooks need to make greener, smarter choices. Here is Pork Chile Verde, Beef Tenderloin with Brandy Mushroom Sauce, Chicken Puttanesca—plus how to make the most eco-friendly meat choices and how to decode the labels on poultry and eggs. Vegetarian entrees such as Roasted Cauliflower Tart and Rigatoni with Eggplant and Buffalo Mozzarella for that one day a week we should abstain from meat. Salads (Escarole with Walnuts, Dates, and Bacon, Farro Salad with Edamame and Arugula) and sides (Carrot Risotto) and all the facts about the benefits of eating organically. And fish of course—Coconut-Crusted Salmon, and why to choose wild whenever possible.
No sacrifices here—doing the right thing has never looked, sounded, or tasted better. Or been easier.
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