I would like to start off by saying that I love spinach. I love it raw in salads. I love it wilted in chicken broth, heavy on the freshly-cracked pepper. I love it slightly cooked and drizzled with olive oil, especially when a clove of two of fresh garlic has been pressed into it. So I believe that it goes without saying that when I saw this recipe posted for a baked spinach dish (a casserole, really), I simply couldn’t help but try it.
The ingredients in my version of the recipe below aren’t too horrible. A tiny bit of butter, and a decent amount of cheese, and the result is a rich and densely flavorful gratin that will pair well with the likes of a steak, or some lamb chops, or a white fish, or a loosely poached egg.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 2 tablespoons panko
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Wash your spinach but do not spin or pat it dry
- Place spinach in a large pot over high heat and cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, until wilted
- Shock the spinach in cold water to stop the cooking and drain again
- Squeeze a small amount of the spinach at a time in your hands to extract as much water as possible. Chop the spinach coarsely. You should have about 3 cups of chopped spinach
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over moderately high heat and stir in the spinach. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the moisture from the spinach has boiled off
- Lower the heat and sprinkle with flour, then stir for 2 minutes to cook the flour
- Add 2/3 of your stock, simmer for another minute or two, and watch out that the spinach isn’t sticking to the pan
- If needed, add all or part of the remaining stock. Season with salt and pepper
- Lightly spray/butter/oil a shallow 1-quart baking dish
- Stir 1/2 cup cheese into the spinach and pour the mixture into the baking dish
- Mix the remaining cheese with panko and sprinkle it on the spinach
- Spray the panko topping with olive oil pan spray
- Bake until heated through and slightly brown on the top, about 30 minutes
Inspired by this post on smittenkitchen.com