Recipes for Shabbat

Spinach

Spinach is a wonderfully adaptable vegetable. It will be abundant until right around the High Holidays. You can cream it, sauté it, stuff it in everything from a knish to a chicken breasts, or serve it raw in salads and in each dish it will take on a totally different characteristics and tastes.

Choosing the best spinach is relatively easy. A younger plant yields tender, sweet leaves. You need to check the stem to gauge tenderness and age. A thin, flexible stem indicates a tender, young plant. Choose these spinach leaves for salads or recipes where the spinach is served raw. Thick, fibrous stems mean a more mature, tougher plant, which are best suited for cooking. Shop for crisp, bright green leaves with no dark, bruised patches or yellowing. I like to buy loose leaves or bunches so I can judge their quality. It's best to store fresh spinach in a dry plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper, where it will keep for two to three days. Spinach stems, even of some young leaves, are usually fibrous, stringy, and difficult to eat, especially after cooking. It's best to remove the stems before washing; discard them or save them to add to a vegetable stock.

To remove the stem from a spinach leaf, fold the leaf in half along the spine, grasp the bottom of the stem and tear toward the tip of the leaf. Notoriously sandy, spinach must be washed carefully.

You'll quickly notice that when you cook spinach it collapses, or wilts, to a fraction of its original volume. That's because spinach leaves, like lettuce and other greens, are mostly water. One pound of unwashed fresh spinach will yield 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked spinach, or about two servings. A pound needs about 5 minutes to steam, and 2-3 pounds of spinach reduces to 2 cups after cooking. After steaming or boiling spinach, wring out excess water. Grab a fistful at a time and squeeze. When a recipe calls for cooked spinach, the simplest technique is to steam it immediately after washing. The water droplets clinging to the leaves and the natural moisture in the spinach provide all the liquid you need. You should drain the cooked spinach in a colander but don't refresh it in cold water. Squeeze out excess liquid. You can also put the spinach in a dishtowel and twist to wring out extra moisture. The spinach can then be chopped and used in a recipe. These recipes are especially great this time of year where the spinach is fresh but will work just as well with frozen spinach in the dead of winter when summer is just a memory.

Fresh Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Lasagna

Cook lasagna in boiling salted water in a large pot until al dente and then drain. Meanwhile, heat one half tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots, stir and cook until onions have softened. Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid, 2 or 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in chopped tomatoes (include liquid), sun-dried tomatoes, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer until thick. Season with salt and pepper. To make the white sauce, heat remaining oil in a heavy pan over low heat. Add flour; whisk constantly until the flour begins to turn a light brown. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream. Season with nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat and set aside. To assemble, spread 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, add one layer of noodles, then another 1/2 cup of mushroom sauce. Arrange a single layer of the fresh spinach leaves over the sauce and drizzle them with 1/3 cup of the white sauce. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan cheese over the spinach and top with another layer of the noodles. Repeat 5 times. Preheated to 375 and bake for 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 8

Spinach Hazelnut Pasta

Cook the linguine until it's al dente, rinse and set aside. In pan, heat the olive oil (I use butter for dairy meals) and saute the garlic (the more the better). Add crushed hazelnuts or pine nuts, fresh spinach, herbs and sun dried tomato flakes. Stir till spinach is wilted. Add the pasta and toss all together. Add diced tomato at the end to prevent them from turning soggy.
Serves: 4-6

Mushroom-Spinach Pinwheels

In a large mixing bowl beat together cream cheese and the 2/3 cup butter.  Add the 1 cup all-purpose flour and the self-rising flour; beat well. Divide dough into two balls; wrap and chill 30 to 60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle. For filling, cook spinach according to package directions; drain well, squeezing out excess liquid. Set aside. In a large skillet melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms and onion. Cook and stir over medium heat about 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add spinach, the 1 tablespoon  flour, the salt, oregano, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Stir in Parmesan cheese; set aside to cool. On a floured surface, roll one pastry ball to a 12x7-inch rectangle. Spread dough with half the spinach mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Starting from a short side, roll up dough and filling. Moisten edges with water; pinch to seal. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Repeat with remaining pastry and spinach
mixture. Slice logs into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices on ungreased baking
sheets. Combine egg white and water. Brush slices with egg white mixture. Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer to wire racks; let cool. Makes 28 pinwheels. Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare and slice pinwheels; place in freezer-safe containers, placing a double thickness of waxed paper between layers. Seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To serve, bake as directed.

Fruited Wilted Spinach Salad

Place apricots in a small bowl and cover with sherry or wine. Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until plump. Drain, reserving liquid. Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and red onion. Cook and stir for 1 minute or just until softened. Add reserved fruit soaking liquid and spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute or just until spinach has begun to wilt. Remove from heat and add vinegar, honey, pepper, and salt. Place in a serving dish and sprinkle with apricots, cherries, olives, and nuts. Makes 6 side-dish servings. Make-Ahead Tip: Toast nuts and clean and tear spinach up to 8 hours in advance; cover and chill.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.