Boston Market-like Creamed Spinach

Creamed Spinach?  I know, I know.  But seriously folks, Creamed Spinach is one of my favorite, most guiltiest pleasures.  I've loved the stuff since I was a kid.  It may have been because I was big fan of Popeye the cartoon, it may have been the fabulous rendition of Popeye by Robin Williams.  In any case, I can hear the lyrics to the theme music now as I type.

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. 
I'm strong to the finich 
Cause I eats me spinach. 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. 

I'm one tough Gazookus 
Which hates all Palookas 
Wot ain't on the up and square. 
I biffs 'em and buffs 'em 
And always out roughs 'em 
But none of 'em gets nowhere. 

If anyone dares to risk my "Fisk", 
It's "Boff" an' it's "Wham" un'erstan'? 
So keep "Good Be-hav-or" 
That's your one life saver 
With Popeye the Sailor Man. 

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. 
I'm strong to the finich 
Cause I eats me spinach. 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.

So, I love spinach, I always have, and I think I love it most, in "creamed" form.  My pops found this and developed the recipe for our latest mock Christmas dinner, I have tweaked only a little bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Cream of Celery Soup - Fat Free or regular, who cares?
• 16-20 ounces of frozen spinach (2 bricks or 1 bag)
• 1 Tablespoon of Flour
• Half a stick (1/4 cup) of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped coarsely
• 1 small onion, chopped into a small dice
• Salt & Pepper to taste (about a teaspoon of each)

Directions:

Begin by draining the spinach.  The easiest way is to plop it into a strainer that is parked over a bowl for a few hours.  Or if you are short of time, you can soak the frozen spinach in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes.  In either case, squeeze as much water as you can out of the spinach before you cook with it. 

Once the spinach is drained, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the butter, onion, and garlic.  Sauté until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour, some salt and pepper, and continue to sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the can of soup and the drained spinach, mix well, and reduce the heat to medium.  Allow to simmer for another 10-15 minutes to bring everything to temperature.  Serve hot and enjoy.

Comments

[wasabi prime]

Heavenly creamed spinach! Yes, the perfect side to any hearty meat. I used to not be a big fan of spinach, of course until I had my first taste of this side dish. I'm always amazed at how much the fresh leaves wilt down. I'll buy the giant bags from Costco and watch them melt away like the Wicked Witch of the West into maybe four portions? Definitely on board with using the chopped, frozen stuff -- at least you know how much you'll have to work with!