Spinach, this leafy green vegetable that originated in Persia is considered very healthy as it’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Despite its health benefits most of the Hungarians aren’t on friendly terms with this vegetable, it belongs to the group of divisive foods people either love or hate.
There are many ways to prepare spinach, but in Hungary it’s served solely as a sauce with fried eggs or french toast. Creamed spinach can be made from fresh or frozen spinach, the cooking method however differs depending on the spinach type.
Ingredients:
- 500 g (~1 lb) fresh spinach leaves or frozen chopped spinach
- 50 g (~1 3/4 oz) butter
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 heaping tbsp flour
- 350 ml (~1 1/2 cups) milk
- salt and pepper to taste
With fresh spinach leaves:
Wash the spinach leaves, remove any tough stalks, then chop them finely. Heat up butter in a deep pan and add the chopped spinach leaves in batches. Stir constantly until the leaves collapse and wilt.
Add finely chopped garlic. Sprinkle flour over the spinach, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually pour in milk while stirring, bring the sauce to the boil and cook until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper. You may puree some or all of the sauce with a hand blender (optional). Serve the spinach sauce with fried eggs.
With frozen chopped spinach:
Heat up butter in a deep pan. Add flour and finely chopped garlic, and make a blond roux while stirring continuously. Once the roux is done, in a fine stream pour in milk, then add frozen spinach. Bring it to the boil while stirring, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the sauce thickens.
