How can I improve the flavor of spinach?

Question

I bought some frozen plain spinach yesterday and got the one without creme sauce, to reduce the amount of fat. Tried to cook it today with some salt and a little bit of butter, but the result was very bland and boring.

What are essential spices for spinach to get a nice taste?

Answer 1

I have 2 favorite recipes that I like to use spinach with. The first one is a salad, so I'm not sure how well it will come out with frozen spinach, but it's awesome with fresh one.

Recipe 1

Take a handful of spinach leaves, about 2 handfuls of green peas and ~100 grams of Feta cheese cut into 1/4 inch cubes(0.5cm) and mix. Add sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Recipe 2

Put spinach with crushed garlic and salt in a pan with a little oil, and fry till the leaves are wilted. You can also add some Parmesan cheese to it to taste.

Answer 2

Nutmeg is one of thsoe spices they almost always suggest when using Spinach. A little bit of lemon juice will bump the flavor profile up a bit, even just a splash will do ya. I also like SurDin's suggestion of adding garlic, maybe even some crushed red pepper flake just to kick it up a notch.

If you are using the spinach as a side dish (or main dish) I would highly suggest using fresh if you can get it. Frozen spinach is great as an ingredient, but if you are using it as the main focus of the dish, it tends to be a bit more bland.

Answer 3

Garlic. Olive oil. Bit of salt.

Answer 4

A great way to use frozen spinach is the with the Indian dish of Saag Aloo

There are too many variations of this recipe to know which is real, but the basics that seem to taste good are:

In a saucepan lightly fry some small potato cubes in a little peanut or olive oil, then add your favourite Indian spices (at least cumin, turmeric, garlic). When browned cover with milk, and let simmer with lid on till the potato are nearly cooked

Add spinach (at least the same weight as the raw potato) and simmer and stir a few times until spinach falls apart and becomes sauce like

At end you can stir in some cottage cheese for extra zing

Answer 5

As someone has already mentioned: Saag Aloo. Definitely my favourite spinach recipe. I kinda made this up, my recipe is:

1. Peel & chop some potatoes into roughly 1-2 inch cubes.
2. Par boil the potatoes in seasoned water for about 10 mins.
3. Roast the potatoes with vegetable oil and plenty of salt & pepper in an oven @ 200 degrees C until crisp (about 30-40 mins)
4. Meanwhile on a medium heat, fry some diced onion and garlic until the onion is soft.
5. Add some ground cumin and ground coriander to the onion.
6. Add plenty of spinach leaves and stir in until leaves are wilted
7. In a food blender/processor wizz the spinach & onion spice mixture.
8. When the potatoes are done, add mix back to pan and stir in potatoes.

Answer 6

This is how I prepare frozen spinach. For one pound of spinach:

1- Chop one large onion

2- Cover the bottom of a pan with 1/8 of an inch of olive oil. Then, sautee the onion until compeletly translucent and soft and all the onion juice has evaporated. Do not let the onion brown.

3- Add spinach, still frozen and turn flame very low. Add 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, dash of black pepper, 2 chopped garlic cloves. Cover pan and let spinach simmer gently until very soft. Stir a few times in the process.

4- Add some salt (but not too much yet). Add 1 Tablespoon lime juice or 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses. The lime juice or the molasses will give the spinach a tangy taste. Stir well. Taste. If needed, increase salt to decire taste. the salt will balance the tangy taste.

5- Eat it next day, after all the flavors have come together. Preserves well in the fridge for a week. Store in a glass container.

Answer 7

If you have fresh spinach, wilt them with some bacon and butter, a little salt and pepper and you're done.