Fresh spinach sautéd with garlic
This simple recipe takes about five minutes and delivers a vibrant dish that marries well with many others. The trick to achieving a bright green color and leaves that retain some body is to spin the washed spinach leaves dry before cooking and add no water to the pan.
For best results, use young or baby spinach. The quantities below will serve two people.
1/2 pound (250 g) fresh spinach
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fill the bottom of your salad spinner with water. Immerse the spinach. Look through and remove any thick stems. If the spinach is very sandy, tip out the water and repeat.
Spin the spinach dry. A few drops of water will remain on the leaves — enough to cook them without burning.
Peel and finely mince the garlic.
Heat the olive oil to sizzling in a skillet. Add the garlic, stir briefly, and add the spinach. There may be too much to fit in your pan. Not to worry — it reduces quickly, and you can add the rest. Stir the spinach with a wooden spatula to ensure even cooking. As soon as all the leaves have wilted, turn off the heat.
Squeeze the half lemon over the spinach. Sprinkle generously with salt and grind on some black pepper.
Serve hot as a side dish or at room temperature with other veggies as a vegetarian plate. Serves two.
