Monday, March 2, 2009

Working is Sick Without Creamy Spinach

Maybe I'm not getting enough nutrition or maybe I work in an office. I have taken today off due to a gnarly cold that I'm fighting. Two weeks ago, one girl came into work with this cold. Last week, about six other people had it, they all also chose to come into work. I'm going against the grain by NOT going to work when I'm sick with a contageous cold. I spent all weekend in my PJ's, lying on the couch. Today I decided that since I'm not at work, I should at least get something done around the apartment, so I did some dishes and took out the trash.
Today is a beautiful in Portland. It's sunny and pushing 60 degrees outside. After taking the trash out, I walked back into my apartment to a wall of stick that reminded me of a hospital ward. Thank goodness it's finally getting warm enough to open a window and air this place out. I guess it's also getting to be time for some summer food.

Today's recipe is Creamy Spinach. While it's not a summer food, I felt it was appropriate since spinach qualifies as a "super food", which I need in my time of coughing and hacking.

6 tightly packed cups of fresh spinach (6 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. butter
salt & pepper

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch until bright green, about 30 seconds. Transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain, squeezing out the excess water.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Pour the cream into a food processor and add 1/3 of the spinach. Process into a smooth puree. Scrape the puree into the saucepan. Add the remaining spinach and bring to a simmer, stirring. Stir in the butter. Season w/ salt & pepper.