French
by: Abigail Rasminsky
February13,2021
4.7
3 Ratings
- Prep time 25 minutes
- Cook time 20 minutes
- Serves 2
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
This is a riff on Julia Child's creamed spinach. It will soon become your go-to side!
A couple notes:
1) Make sure you add the flour slowly and wait for it to dissolve. You do not want chunks of flour in your spinach!
2) 10 ounces of spinach serves only two (or one hungry person). Definitely double/triple/quadruple for more eaters. —Abigail Rasminsky
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 10 ounceswashed spinach
- 2 tablespoonsto 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or more)
- 2 tablespoonsto 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoonfreshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 Knorr stock cube
- 1 cupwater
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Put a pot of water to boil with salt. Wash spinach. Put spinach in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes at a slow boil.
- Drain spinach and run cold water over spinach to stop it from cooking. A handful at a time, squeeze the spinach to get the water out. Chop. (You can now store, refrigerate and continue whenever.)
- In a pot on medium heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter, then put spinach in and stir. Cover for a minute or two.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour and stir until the white dissolves. Really make sure white dissolves!
- Add a little salt and pepper and grate nutmeg for 9 seconds. Stir. Add 1/2 Knorr stock cube (chicken or beef preferably) and continue to stir while gradually adding 1 cup of water. Be sure the stock dissolves completely!
- Correct seasoning. At the end you could add another 2-3 tablespoons of butter.
- Take off heat. It’s really important not to cook it too long, either while you’re preparing it or when you heat it up to serve later! You just want it gently heated. Overcooking is what kills it.
Tags:
- French
- Side
- Dinner
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Barbara
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Katrin Patience
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Icesk8rLizzie8rlizzie
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Abigail Rasminsky
Abigail Rasminsky has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, O: The Oprah Magazine, The Cut, Epicurious and Dance Magazine, among other publications.
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17 Reviews
Regine May 1, 2021
I made basically the same recipe. Except I didn't boil the spinach (and didn't use Knorr) but let it wilt in the water clinging to the leaves after washing them. I added nutmeg, minced the cooked spinach, and added coconut milf to finish it in the pot.
Barbara March 1, 2021
Good for you to get online and get your family involved. I love it that your dad was the cameraman! You practically have credits to roll at the end! Seriously, I started a "weekly family chat" that's brought me closer to my sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews -- people I would never see except on year-end holidays are now in my life weekly. Keep it up -- I anticipate reading and savoring more Rasminsky family recipes. Do you have relatives in Chicago?
Katrin P. February 22, 2021
This story reminds me of the story around the former Berghoff Restaurant in Chicago about their very famous creamed spinach. People would be shocked when they learned that the restaurant used frozen spinach, not fresh leaves, because of the sheer amount of space fresh spinach would take up in the kitchen. Anyhow, I have their recipe, which I will compare with yours. We‘ll have a creamed spinach-off! Cheers!
Barbara March 1, 2021
I'd like to see the Berghoff recipe. I loved that restaurant and made a point of ordering the creamed spinach every time I went.
Bri L. February 15, 2021
At the risk of going Alton Brown on you all. Flour doesn't dissolve--as it isn't soluble in water or fat. You are making a mixture, dispersing the flour in fat--more an emulsion ...a roux...and using it to thicken water/stock.
gandalf February 16, 2021
An interesting point. What would happen, I wonder, if you made a roux first using the butter and flour, and then added the cooked spinach and then the stock, and cooked to the desired consistency?
Barbara March 1, 2021
Agreed. You're actually making a light roux with equal parts butter and flour. If you make that first, you can use a whisk to make sure there are no lumps, and also give it a minute or two to cook the flour. Then add the drained and squeezed dry spinach. I love this dish! It's the most delicious way to eat spinach.
A note on getting all the water out of the spinach: drain it and put it in a clean kitchen towel, then twist the towel until you squeeze all the water out of the spinach. You can save the spinach water and use it in soups or stews if you want to. Alt: Wash a large quantity of leaf spinach roughly tearing off the big tough stalks. Put the leaves, with the water still clinging to them, in a large pot. Cover and put on a low flame for 5-7 minutes. You start with less water, so you don't have so much to remove. Thanks for this!
beejay45 March 4, 2021
Prior to reading this, I've always seen creamed spinach recipes as being a basic bechamel with cooked spinach stirred in. That never sounded particularly wonderful to me, since I had a restaurant version favorite which was in no way that heavy.
babkanosher February 14, 2021
This recipe is absolutely delicious... I can't wait to make it again!
babkanosher February 14, 2021
This recipe was sheer perfection!
Icesk8rLizzie8rlizzie February 13, 2021
I absolutely love Creamed Spinach! This recipe is simply amazing! It's positively delicious! 😍🍵😋👌
Abigail R. February 14, 2021
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Icesk8rLizzie8rlizzie February 13, 2021
I absolutely love Creamed Spinach! This recipe is simply amazing!😍🍵😋👌
Nwhite February 13, 2021
I read this recipe and immediately made a double batch! Delicious recipe and fabulous storytelling. It is so easy and so so so so good! Will become a regular in my rotation. Thanks!!
Abigail R. February 14, 2021
Yay! I'm thrilled!
LindaNY1 February 13, 2021
This ‘recipe’ was SO well written that I, a cooked spinach avoider, am going to try within the next week!
This was such a wonderful recipe/memoir/narrative to read. Delightful!
Abigail R. February 13, 2021
Good luck, and I hope you enjoy!
