Recipe: Creamed Spinach

Fresh from the garden!

CREAMED SPINACH  
Serves 4 

3 lbs fresh spinach 
1 ½ C water 
4 Tbsp butter 
½ C flour 
1 ½ C half and half 
Dash nutmeg 
Salt, black pepper to taste 

Cook washed spinach in salted boiling water for 45 minutes or until cooked down. Drain, squeezing as much liquid out as possible, then chop spinach fine. Heat butter in skillet and stir in flour until smooth, cooking about 10 minutes (stirring constantly) to a light brown roux. Stir in cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer a few minutes. Pour into blender and blend 15 seconds.

Chicken Enchilladas II / Mac & Cheese

Substitute grilled turkey legs and wings for chicken

Mr. Big Food was a bit under the weather this past weekend but he still managed to grill some turkey leg quarters and wings. At the time, however, neither of us were too keen on enjoying them. So the grilled turkey parts were just sitting in the fridge, waiting patiently to become the main ingredient in Chicken Enchiladas II. 

The green stuff is spinach. 

I just asked Mr. Big Food how many chicken enchilada recipes there were in the Big Food Manual, and he said, "I'm not sure, probably six or seven."

The turkey was the last thing Mr. Big Food cooked this past weekend (Friday evening) before he succumbed to the weather. I cooked on Saturday & Sunday. For my purposes, "cooked" includes fixing sandwiches. For Sunday Supper, we had mac & cheese. It appealed to Mr. Big Food.


Oh. My. God. 

Carrots and spinach: I & I

Carrot Casserole I

Spinach Loaf I

Recipes forthcoming.

I don't remember when I've had such good spinach. Or carrots, for that matter.

~~

My seed order list includes more carrots. In general, they don't seem to mind the clay as much as I thought they would, especially since I till in a lot of peat.

New Zealand spinach

1 lb + blanched New Zealand spinach

Seed from Botanical Interests

Spinach New Zealand Heirloom Seed

Tetragonia tetragonioides

50-70 days. Discovered by Sir Joseph Banks in New Zealand during the 1770 voyage of Captain James Cook, and enjoyed by 18th century gardeners. Also known as perpetual spinach, New Zealand is not true spinach, but a great way to have spinach flavor all summer; many even prefer the flavor to true spinach. It loves the heat, and produces abundantly. Noted for high vitamin content, especially vitamin C; it was served on Captain Cook’s ship to prevent scurvy. Small, young leaves can be eaten raw, or cooked. Bothered by almost no insects, even snails and slugs!

I planted the seed back in late August. Although it "loves the heat" I don't think it loved Mississippi August heat too much. Most of the seed did germinate, but most of the seedlings were eaten by rabbits. 

What's interesting-- and this has happened in my garden more than once-- is that seed germinates and comes up when it's good and ready. My 25' row of New Zealand spinach produced one very large spinach plant which yielded a little over one pound of spinach. AND two little spinaches which have must have come up in the last few weeks underneath the big plant.

The little guys will be spinach salad. The rest is frozen.

UPDATE:

Nutritional information for 5 ounces of cooked New Zealand spinach

I was prompted to add this after reading "Food and the Feds: An exhibition at the National Archives celebrates the government’s role" by Bruce Cole at National Review Online. Cole concludes his description of the exhibit with this: