Spinach belongs to the amaranth family and is related to beetroots and quinoa. It’s considered to be very healthy, as it’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, and is famed as the food choice of Popeye for it’s amazing strength giving properties!
Spinach is high in insoluble fibre and low in carbohydrates. It is an extremely nutrient-rich vegetable. It contains high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Recipes
Spinach Pancakes – BBC Good Food Website
- 125g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp sugar(any kind)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp melted butter plus extra for frying
- 100ml milk
- 50g baby spinach leaves washed and chopped
- berries and maple syrup, to serve
Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, butter, milk and spinach in a blender and whizz until you get a smooth, bright green batter.
Heat a little more butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add small dollops to the pan, 2-3 at a time. Cook for 2 mins until the edges are set, and bubbles are rising to the surface, then flip and cook for 1-2 mins more. Keep warm while you cook the remaining batches.
Serve with berries and a drizzle of syrup to serve.
Saag paneer – Elena Silcock recipe
- 2 tbsp ghee or cooking oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder or Kashmiri chilli powder
- 450g paneer cut into 3cm cubes
- 500g spinach mature fresh or frozen
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 1 green chilli roughly chopped, (include seeds for extra spice)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ lemon juiced, to serve
Melt the ghee, whisk in with the turmeric and chilli powder, then add the cubed paneer and toss well. Set aside. If using frozen spinach, microwave for 3-5 mins, then place in a sieve and squeeze out most of the water. If using fresh spinach, place in a colander, pour over boiling water, drain and cool, then put in a tea towel and squeeze out most of the water. Roughly chop.
Blitz the onion with the garlic, ginger and green chilli. Cook the paneer in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat for around 8 mins, tossing the pan so they become golden all over. Remove and set aside on a plate, leaving spices behind in the pan. Tip the onion mix into the pan, add a pinch of salt and turn the heat down. Fry until caramel coloured, around 10 mins, adding a splash of water if it looks a little dry. Add the garam masala, stir to coat the onion mix, fry for 2 mins.
Add the spinach and cook for a further 2-3 mins, adding 100ml water to release all the flavours from the bottom of the pan. Season to taste. Add the paneer and cook for 2-3 mins to heat through. Spoon into bowls and squeeze over a little lemon juice, to serve.