Creamed Spinach Recipe - A Steakhouse Classic!

A steak house classic – creamed spinach. A recipe that just couldn’t be easier and when you pair this with a good rib-eye seared in your cast iron pan and a baked potato, you’ve got yourself a meat n’ potatoes meal that just can’t be beat.

Creamed spinach may not fit into your New Year’s dieting resolution, but an occasional indulgence, every now and again, can’t do much harm – can it?

You can go to a steak house and pay a lot for a meal like this, but you don’t have to. Steak house eating is all about starting with a few very good ingredients and treating them simply but well – and you don’t need to go to culinary school to learn how to do this.

Although this recipe is often made with frozen spinach, I think that fresh spinach makes this a whole lot tastier.

Steak House Creamed Spinach

The amounts listed below should be viewed only as approximations. This recipe is so easy, you really don’t need to be worrying about measurements, and your creamed spinach will taste better if made with a relaxed hand using your taste buds as your guide, rather than quantities listed on a page.

• About 2 pounds of fresh spinach
• 2 cloves of garlic - minced
• 1 smallish onion chopped finely
• ¾ cups of whipping (heavy) cream
• A little butter
• Salt and pepper
• A fine pinch of nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
  

Instructions

1. Prepare the spinach by cutting off the stems and washing it clean. (small stems from baby spinach don’t really need trimming, but the larger woodier stems from mature spinach won’t really soften in the cooking – and so need to go!)
2. Heat a large fry pan over medium, and when hot, just add the spinach to the pan. You don’t need to add any additional water or oil to cook this, as the water clinging to the spinach from its washing will be enough to wilt/steam the leaves. Using a pair of tongs, turn the spinach around a bit in the pan for a couple of minutes, or until it has all wilted completely.
3. Take the spinach from the pan and reserve. Wipe your fry pan clean and then add in a knob of butter, a generous Tbls or so, and when it has melted add in your minced garlic. Stir the garlic around for about 30 seconds, and then add in you finely chopped onion.
4. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it has softened nicely, but not browned.
5. Meanwhile, after letting the spinach cool for 3 or 4 minutes first, wring out as much liquid as you can from the wilted spinach. (You can use a colander and a wooden spoon if you want, but I generally just hand wring it).
6. Transfer the dried spinach to a cutting board and give it a rough chopping up.
7. After the onions have softened, return the spinach to the pan and add in the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer and add in your very scant pinch of nutmeg. Let the cream reduce until thickened to your liking (a couple of minutes) and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Delicious.