A tender green that cooks down to a tenth of its volume — a mountain of leaves becomes a modest, mineral-rich side in ninety seconds. Baby leaves for salads; mature bunches for cooking.
On the palate
Flavor
Mineral, sweet, faintly metallic (that's the oxalates). Cooked, it deepens and turns silky.
Handle with care
Prep & knife work
·
Wash bunched spinach in a bowl of water — grit sinks.
·
Stem mature leaves; baby spinach needs nothing.
·
Squeeze cooked spinach hard — watery spinach ruins fillings.
At the stove
Cooking methods
Flash sauté with garlic
Wilting into pasta or soup at the end
Creaming
Raw in salads
Flavor friends
Pairs well with
Cream
Nutmeg
Feta
Out of it?
Substitutions
Chard (sturdier)
Kale (needs longer cooking)
Frozen spinach (for fillings — squeeze it dry)
Keep it fresh
Storage & shopping
Storage
Dry, in a bag with a paper towel, in the crisper. Moisture is what turns it to slime.
Shelf life
Baby leaves: 3–5 days. Bunches: up to a week.
Seasonality
Spring and autumn; summer heat makes it bolt and turn bitter.
Shopping tips
Perky, dark, dry leaves. Avoid any bag with moisture beading inside.
Nutrition
Iron, folate, vitamin K. Pair with vitamin C (lemon!) to absorb more of the iron.
A longer story
History
From Persia via Arab agronomists to Europe; Catherine de' Medici loved it so much that "Florentine" still means "with spinach."