Spinach is good for you as it is rich in lots of vitamins, but most people do not eat it as they are used to seeing this leafy green look wilted and slimy when it is not cooked properly. It is really common to boil or steam spinach, but it is a really delicate vegetable and too much water will make it lose its structure so it becomes a soggy mess.
Boiling or steaming spinach can also make it less healthy as a lot of the vitamins will dissolve into the water, making it far less nutritious. However, Mary Berry has shared it is easy to make spinach incredibly tasty, as all you just need to stir fry it with a splash of cream. In her cookbook Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking, she said: “Sometimes forgotten as a side dish, spinach is so quick to cook and, with a little cream, it’s extra special too.”
Creamed spinach is often considered the best way to prepare this leafy green because the cream helps mellow its naturally bitter flavour, resulting in a richer and more indulgent taste.
Stir-frying will help cook through the spinach without making it waterlogged and the cream will coat the leaves instead of soaking them so you are left with a silky texture.
Spinach also contains a lot of fat-soluble vitamins, which means cooking it with a little fat will help your body absorb the nutrients better rather than eating it by itself.
Not only will your creamed spinach be healthier but it will be more filling and tastier, so it is more like eating comfort food rather than a side dish you force yourself to eat.
How to make Mary Berry’s creamed spinach
You will need:
- 250g of baby spinach
- Two garlic cloves (crushed)
- Two to three tablespoons of double cream
- A quarter teaspoon of nutmeg (optional)
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method:
Place the olive oil into a large frying pan over a high heat. Then crush two garlic cloves, add them to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
Next, add the spinach to the pan. Cook for two minutes until the leaves are just beginning to wilt, and make sure to keep tossing it around so it cooks evenly.
After the two minutes are up, add the cream and nutmeg. Stir until it has completely heated through, then season with salt and pepper.
Spoon into a dish, and your buttery seasoned spinach is now ready to serve. It will pair wonderfully with grilled meats like steak, chicken, or even other roasted vegetables.