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Boiled Spinach
2 pounds spinach. Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons butter Remove roots and wilted leaves of the spinach. Wash in several waters, until all trace of sand has disappeared. Place in a large kettle without additional water; the water which clings to the leaves is sufficient. Cover the kettle and cook until the spinach is tender. The time of cooking depends on the age of the spinach. Long cooking darkens it. Salt the water just before cooking is completed. When done, drain, chop, season with salt, pepper and butter. One tablespoon lemon-juice may be added while chopping, if desired. Garnish with slices of hard-cooked eggs if desired.
A straightforward wilt-in-its-own-water method that still beats boiling. The instructions are sound; only the timing and the vessel need translation.
- The hinge: keep it briefTwo pounds of washed spinach collapses in roughly 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat, tossed once or twice, though older, coarser leaves will take longer; the recipe itself says the time depends on the age of the spinach. Its own warning that "long cooking darkens it" is the whole point -- overcooked spinach goes olive-drab.
- KettleIn this period a kettle is any large covered pot, not a tea kettle. Use your widest heavy pot or a Dutch oven so the leaves have room to collapse in contact with the bottom.
- Washing"Several waters" means filling a basin, agitating the leaves, lifting them out and repeating with fresh water until no grit settles. Bagged prewashed baby spinach skips this, but it also cooks in half the time and needs no root trimming.
- Salting lateThe recipe salts near the end of cooking without saying why; the usual rationale offered in books of the period is that salt draws liquid out of the leaves. With such a short cook time it makes little practical difference. Season after draining.
- DrainingPress the cooked spinach against a sieve or squeeze it in a clean towel. Two pounds of raw leaves yields a surprisingly small amount, and any retained water will thin the butter into a puddle.
- ButterThree tablespoons for two pounds of raw spinach is right for the finished volume, not excessive. Stir it in off the heat so it emulsifies with the residual moisture rather than separating.
- YieldTwo pounds of raw spinach serves four as a side dish, and only just.