my square foot bed has produced a fantastic crop of spinach
so good in fact, that I need to harvest loads of baby spinach plants for it to grow any further!
That was the good news.............

I made my first ever spinachy recipe (care of Delia) spinach and feta tartlets.
I cooked the spinach just as she said, without added water, just let it wilt for a few minutes in a warm saucepan with the lid on.
I squeezed out the excess water................


..........and they tasted exactly like slime

anyone know of a non slimey spinach recipe please?
(otherwise the whole crops going to the chooks )

I use spinach curry mainly or it's good creamed. I didn't think there'd be any water in it once you'd wilted it down. Did you finish making the recipe?

yep, made 'em.... they looked lovely.....tasted 'em.....gagged

so you're not a spinach lover then. So small leaves in salad, big uns in curry. You can put em in samosas and pakora, lasagne. I put it in stir fries too

I picked some good looking perpet spinach off the plot today (hurrah, deep joy, made it at last) Chooks wolfed it down

it'll do them a power of good........and make deep golden yolks too

so salad and ruby? that's really it?
not growing that again then

what spinach is it?

That perpet stuff is not real spinach, it's a beet. Try it the Italian way with cream and freshly grated nutmeg

It's ok with fish in a sauce. Also, I like it in the bowl under my pasta and carbonara sauce etc

When you put it in curry it gets rid of quite a lot cos it wilts down to nowt. Have it stir fried Tara, with all those lovely oriental flavours

erm.....bordeau I think

I always put spinach in fish pie - goes well with fish and creamy sauce

I guess you just don't like spinach Tara Or maybe...maybe... it doesn't need squeezing , cos that would cause it to become yuk... There shouldn't be much water left in the pan, just drain it ...

Nice idea about the fish pie Lily

Bung it in daal. Dead nutritious dinner.

Ooh I love dhal

Saw a recipe today Tara in the KG mag for spinach pate. Says it's good for folks who don't like the metallic tang of spinach

It's got chilli and garlic in it and it says to serve it on toast or crusty bread. the pic has it with a shaving or two of parmesan on the top. Looks lovely, albeit very green

To get away from the slime effect ... I alway stir fry it first with onion and garlic, maybe even add a bit of celery and green pepper! That way you can evaporate any excess liquid and the extra veg keep the spinach in strands.

Try adapting this recipe, it works along the same principle.

Spinach Flan it comes from Sainsbury's

Ingredients:

2-tbsp Olive oil
1 large Onion; chopped
2 Cloves garlic; crushed
500-gram spinach (1lb)
2 medium eggs
½ tsp Ground nutmeg
250-gram Ricotta or curd cheese; (8oz)
50 gram Parmesan cheese; grated (2oz)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
350-gram Plain wholemeal flour; (12oz)
175-gram Margarine; (6oz)
Iced water

1 Egg, beaten to glaze

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until softened.
2. Add the garlic and spinach and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly then beat in the eggs, nutmeg, cheeses and seasoning.
3. To make the pastry, place the flour in a bowl and rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add enough water to mix to a firm dough then turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly until smooth.
5. Cut off two thirds of the pastry, roll out thinly and use to line a 23cm (9 inch) flan dish, leaving the pastry overlapping the side.
6. Spread the filling evenly in the pastry case and moisten the pastry edges.
7. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into 5cm (1/4 inch) strips.
8. Arrange in a lattice pattern over the filling and press the edges to secure.
9. Trim off any excess pastry and brush with the egg.



Place in a preheated oven 200 øC, 400 øF, Gas Mark 6 for 45-50 minutes, until golden.

Oooh that sounds good Flo I love ricotta with spinach - used to do a canneloni stuffed with something similar - haven't had that for years, will have to find the recipe

Dhal is one of my signature dishes.

Recipe then Impy ........