prepare sautéed spinach simply with slivers of garlic and a few red pepper flakes. Perfectly delicious but the truth is this slightly richer version, with a bit of cream and Parmigiano, is my favorite. I like the sweet, earthy flavor the sautéed shallots add, too. You could even think of this as a much lighter version of creamed spinach. This spinach would be my top pick for a fast, delicious sidekick to a sautéed chicken breast. The recipe also works well with Swiss chard.
I’m a big fan of fresh spinach (by fresh I mean bunches of leaves on the stem, rather than bagged spinach). I actually enjoy the sort of Zen-like process of stemming and washing the pretty clusters of leaves, but it does make a simple dish more time-consuming than it has to be. You can certainly do this with bagged baby spinach; just look for the bags with larger leaves, which have more body and flavor. If you do buy fresh, you can stem, wash, and dry the spinach a day ahead and keep it in a paper towel–lined zip-top bag.
1 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
2 SMALL SHALLOTS,
thinly sliced (about 1½ oz/45 g
)
KOSHER SALT
1 BUNCH FRESH SPINACH (
10 to 12 oz/ 285 to 340 g
) OR 5 TO 6 OZ/140 TO 170 G BABY SPINACH LEAVES,
washed and dried
1 TSP HEAVY CREAM
1 TBSP FINELY GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
1
Heat the olive oil
in a medium (9- to 10-in/23- to 25-cm) nonstick skillet over mediumlow heat. When the oil is hot (it will loosen up), add the shallots and a pinch of salt and stir with a silicone spatula to distribute them in the oil. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened and just a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Don’t brown too much or the shallots will taste slightly bitter.)
2
Add half of the spinach
and another pinch of salt and stir and fold the spinach with tongs until most of it is wilted and dark green, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining spinach and stir well again until the spinach is almost completely wilted, another minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cream, and stir to incorporate. Add the Parmigiano, stir well, and serve right away.
Serves 2
Mahogany Mushrooms
Who doesn’t love sautéed mushrooms? That is, of course, if they’re cooked properly. I have a few tricks to help you pull this off. First, I start with brown cremini mushrooms, which I think have a meatier texture than white button mushrooms. Then I quarter or halve them (rather than slice) so they maintain their appealing heft. I cook the mushrooms on pretty high heat, until—and this is most important—all the moisture they give off during the sauté has evaporated. (Don’t worry if the pan looks dry at first; the mushrooms give off moisture as they cook.) I look for an appealing orangey-brown color (the tasty stuff) to know they’re done.
These sautéed mushrooms, come with an easy sauce. Actually, it’s more like a glaze, and it adds not only a lot of flavor, but a nice sheen, too. Use them in a warm spinach salad, as a topping for a sirloin steak, or even as part of an antipasto selection.
1 TBSP SOY SAUCE
1 TBSP FRESH LEMON JUICE
2 TSP DARK BROWN SUGAR
2 TSP KETCHUP
½ TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
2 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
2 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1 LB/455 G CREMINI (
baby bella
) MUSHROOMS,
quartered if large, halved if small
¾ TSP KOSHER SALT
2 TSP MINCED FRESH GARLIC
FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1
In a small bowl
, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tbsp of water and set the bowl near the stove. Put a shallow serving dish near the stove as well.
2
In a 10-in/25-cm straight-sided sauté pan
, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and salt, stir right away, and continue stirring until the mushrooms have absorbed all of the fat.
3
Let the mushrooms sit
and cook for 2 minutes, then stir once. Don’t worry; the pan may look crowded and dry, but keep the heat up at medium-high. Let it sit and
I’m a big fan of fresh spinach (by fresh I mean bunches of leaves on the stem, rather than bagged spinach). I actually enjoy the sort of Zen-like process of stemming and washing the pretty clusters of leaves, but it does make a simple dish more time-consuming than it has to be. You can certainly do this with bagged baby spinach; just look for the bags with larger leaves, which have more body and flavor. If you do buy fresh, you can stem, wash, and dry the spinach a day ahead and keep it in a paper towel–lined zip-top bag.
1 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
2 SMALL SHALLOTS,
thinly sliced (about 1½ oz/45 g
)
KOSHER SALT
1 BUNCH FRESH SPINACH (
10 to 12 oz/ 285 to 340 g
) OR 5 TO 6 OZ/140 TO 170 G BABY SPINACH LEAVES,
washed and dried
1 TSP HEAVY CREAM
1 TBSP FINELY GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
1
Heat the olive oil
in a medium (9- to 10-in/23- to 25-cm) nonstick skillet over mediumlow heat. When the oil is hot (it will loosen up), add the shallots and a pinch of salt and stir with a silicone spatula to distribute them in the oil. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened and just a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Don’t brown too much or the shallots will taste slightly bitter.)
2
Add half of the spinach
and another pinch of salt and stir and fold the spinach with tongs until most of it is wilted and dark green, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining spinach and stir well again until the spinach is almost completely wilted, another minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cream, and stir to incorporate. Add the Parmigiano, stir well, and serve right away.
Serves 2
Mahogany Mushrooms
Who doesn’t love sautéed mushrooms? That is, of course, if they’re cooked properly. I have a few tricks to help you pull this off. First, I start with brown cremini mushrooms, which I think have a meatier texture than white button mushrooms. Then I quarter or halve them (rather than slice) so they maintain their appealing heft. I cook the mushrooms on pretty high heat, until—and this is most important—all the moisture they give off during the sauté has evaporated. (Don’t worry if the pan looks dry at first; the mushrooms give off moisture as they cook.) I look for an appealing orangey-brown color (the tasty stuff) to know they’re done.
These sautéed mushrooms, come with an easy sauce. Actually, it’s more like a glaze, and it adds not only a lot of flavor, but a nice sheen, too. Use them in a warm spinach salad, as a topping for a sirloin steak, or even as part of an antipasto selection.
1 TBSP SOY SAUCE
1 TBSP FRESH LEMON JUICE
2 TSP DARK BROWN SUGAR
2 TSP KETCHUP
½ TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
2 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
2 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1 LB/455 G CREMINI (
baby bella
) MUSHROOMS,
quartered if large, halved if small
¾ TSP KOSHER SALT
2 TSP MINCED FRESH GARLIC
FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1
In a small bowl
, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tbsp of water and set the bowl near the stove. Put a shallow serving dish near the stove as well.
2
In a 10-in/25-cm straight-sided sauté pan
, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and salt, stir right away, and continue stirring until the mushrooms have absorbed all of the fat.
3
Let the mushrooms sit
and cook for 2 minutes, then stir once. Don’t worry; the pan may look crowded and dry, but keep the heat up at medium-high. Let it sit and
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