Best Creamed Spinach With Roasted Cipollini Onions Recipes

CLASSIC CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Blanch the spinach. Bring 1 gallon water to a boil in a large pot. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Place the spinach in the boiling water. After 45 seconds (exactly), remove the spinach leaves with a slotted spoon, spider or tongs and drain in a colander. Let cool completely.
• Use your hands to press the spinach against the sides of the colander. When most of the liquid has been released, squeeze handfuls of the spinach to make sure all of the excess water has been removed. Set aside.
• In a wide, high-sided saute pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter to create a roux that will look like wet sand. Cook the roux for 3 minutes, stirring continuously to make sure it doesn't burn and it becomes a "blond" color. Add the milk to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure that the roux completely dissolves into the milk without lumping.
• Turn down the heat to maintain a low simmer. You're making a bechamel sauce, which is the base for the creamed spinach. Next, whisk in the cream and return the mixture to a simmer. Cook the bechamel until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Season the sauce with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Preheat a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften and become translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute or two.
• Add the cooked onion and garlic along with the drained spinach to the bechamel, folding to make sure it's completely coated with sauce. Season with the nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes, then taste the spinach. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and the nutmeg, and/or more cayenne if desired.

CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring ½ inch of water to a boil over high. Add spinach in 3 batches, stirring until each batch is wilted before adding another, until all of the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water until cool. Drain again, pressing out excess water, then coarsely chop for a total of 4 packed cups.
• In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened with no color, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir until melted, then add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is light golden but the shallots still have no color, about 3 minutes. While whisking constantly, drizzle in milk and cream until smooth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then add chopped spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is totally incorporated and the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream until combined. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm.

DOUBLE-CREAMED SPINACH WITH FRIED ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spinach. As soon as it's wilted and tender, drain and run under cold water. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess water. If you have used whole spinach with long stems, roughly chop it; you should have 1 1/2 cups of chopped spinach.
• Slice half of the onion into thin disks, and break the disks into rings with your hands. Mix 1 tablespoon of the flour with a bit of salt and pepper, and toss the onion rings in the flour.
• Heat 1 inch of grapeseed oil to 350 degrees F in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven. Add a handful of the onion rings to the oil, making sure they have room to move. Fry in the oil until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. (If desired, keep the fried onions warm in a 200 degrees F oven.)
• Finely mince the fennel and the remaining onion half. Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and glaze it with the olive oil. Add the fennel, onion, garlic and a few pinches of salt, and cook until the onion is translucent; you don't want it to brown. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and stir. When the flour has gathered up all the onion mixture, add the Herbsaint and bring to a boil. Let it reduce by half before stirring in the milk to make a bechamel. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook at a low simmer until the sauce thickens to the point where it coats the back of a spoon, and where drawing your finger down the spoon leaves a clear line.
• Pour half of the bechamel into a blender along with 1/2 cup of the spinach. Blend until completely smooth. Add the remaining spinach to the pan with the remaining bechamel, then add the spinach puree. Heat, stirring, and season with salt and pepper. Finish by stirring in the butter, nutmeg and Parmesan. Transfer the creamed spinach to a serving dish, and top with the fried onions.