Although this dish seems ridiculously simple, the flavors meld to yield a sophisticated tasting dish which dish is quite popular here, even with the kids, who normally don’t care for hot spinach dishes. The flavor of the mushrooms helps mitigate the sometimes strong earthiness of spinach. This dish is easy to riff on, making it flexible and fun to make. Add tofu and leftover grains for a one-dish meal. Some spinach has stems that are unpalatable-chewy or stringy-but some have tender, succulent stems. If this spinach falls into the latter class, by all means use the stems. You will have to chew on a couple stems to know if they will work. If they do not, just ignore the recipe instructions pertaining to them.
INGREDIENTS:
½ pound button mushrooms, sliced very thinly-1/8th inch or less 2 cloves garlic, peeled and de-germed, minced finely 1 bunch of spinach, stems removed and reserved, thoroughly washed, stems sliced finely into rings and washed, leaves torn into bite-sized bits and reserved. Do not dry the spinach. 1 small bunch of scallions, trimmed and washed, whites and greens separated and sliced very finely on the diagonal -OR- ½ a red onion sliced into very fine half-moons ½ cup white wine salt and pepper to taste ½ tablespoon fresh thyme, minced Olive oil as neededMETHOD:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and when hot, add enough olive oil to film the pan 1/8th inch deep. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and toss to thoroughly coat. Sprinkle evenly with the thyme. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring frequently, until evenly colored and they are tender. Make a space in the center of the mushrooms and add a dollop of oil. As soon as it is warm, add the garlic and stir until fragrant and softening. Mix into the mushrooms. Add the wine to the pan and cook down by 85%.
Add the whites of the onions (or red onion slices) and stir, cooking until just tender and cooked through. If using the red onions, they will need a little more time than the scallions. Add the sliced spinach stems. Cook with the onions until tender. Add the spinach to the pan, tossing the contents to mix, and cook gently until the spinach has just wilted. If using green onions, toss the sliced greens over when the spinach goes into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
This dish is good with chunks of tofu added to it. Season cubed firm tofu and cook with the mushrooms. This dish is nice with pinenuts or almonds added to it, and a handful of oiled bread crumbs is a pleasant addition. Just oil the bread crumbs and season them and then toss them in towards the end and sauté just long enough to give them some color. If you have some leftover grains like wheat berries or farro in the refrigerator, add them to heat through just before you add the spinach, or heat separately and combine at service. A little cheese grated on would go well also.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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