Spinach is one of my favorite green leafy vegetables. And since it is so easy to get almost everywhere, you can modify tonnes of dishes using grated, blended, crushed or simply plain spinach leaves. Most of my dishes usually involve well-blended spinach to make a fine thick paste.
Medically-speaking, spinach is rich in vitamin A, E & K along with some extremely essential minerals such as Selenium and Zinc that are important for skin epidermal fidelity. Not only that it has rare minerals that are good for skin, hair and eyes but most importantly, spinach has perhaps one of the highest iron content among vegetables. Even more surprising fact is that pound for a pound, spinach leaves contain as much iron as the highest quality red meat. In World War I, spinach was the default treatment for soldiers with injuries and hemorrhagic blood loss. Recently, I sat down and calculated spinach, chickpeas and red kidney beans' nutrients and just having enough of these three very basic staple food items packs twice a punch then the most fancy vitamin supplements.
Medically-speaking, spinach is rich in vitamin A, E & K along with some extremely essential minerals such as Selenium and Zinc that are important for skin epidermal fidelity. Not only that it has rare minerals that are good for skin, hair and eyes but most importantly, spinach has perhaps one of the highest iron content among vegetables. Even more surprising fact is that pound for a pound, spinach leaves contain as much iron as the highest quality red meat. In World War I, spinach was the default treatment for soldiers with injuries and hemorrhagic blood loss. Recently, I sat down and calculated spinach, chickpeas and red kidney beans' nutrients and just having enough of these three very basic staple food items packs twice a punch then the most fancy vitamin supplements.
Potato is one of the cheapest and most dynamic alternatives to wheat bread and similar wheat flour products. It has more fiber and basic nutrients than bread, and it adds both texture, flavor and substance in almost any kind of dish. The simplicity of potatoes make them an ideal addition to almost every ethnic cuisine since their polysaccharide fibers provide the scaffold to absorb the flavors of the dish they are added to. Over time, you will see a lot of potato dishes that involve either the dance spice or the guntur sannam green chili paste. One dish I plan to cook today as we wait out the Hurricane Isaac is the chickpea potato curry - one of my favorites!
Ingredients:
(You will need a blender to make a spinach puree)
Feeds: Meal for 4 with rice or flat bread. Can be used as a dip with added yogurt.
Method:
(You will need a blender to make a spinach puree)
- One lb spinach leaves (fresh or frozen)
- Three medium-sized potatoes (peeled and cut in thick cubes)
- One half of a red onion
- Half teaspoon Dance Spice Blend (or the green chili paste)
- Half teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- One tablespoon sour cream (or two tbsps plain yogurt)
- One tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Feeds: Meal for 4 with rice or flat bread. Can be used as a dip with added yogurt.
Method:
- Wash the whole spinach leaves and boil them in a big pan for about 30 minutes. An alternate and quick option is to soak them in a big microwave-safe container and then microwave for 3-4 minutes.
- As the leaves water cools down, drain excess water and blend the spinach leaves in to a fine liquid consistency. I use my blenders fastest and highest setting and blend for about a minute or minute and a half.
- In a large 3 to 4 quart pan, heat the oil and golden fry the chopped onions. Decrease the heat to medium/low and add one teaspoon of the dance spice blend. A minute after the spice blend addition, add a tablespoon of sour cream (or 2 tablespoons of whole-milk yogurt). Turn the heat to low, cover the pan with lid and let the mix simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Now add your peeled and cut potato cubes in the mix, cover with lid and turn the heat up to medium. Saute the potatoes for about 5 minutes and stir the pan to make sure no potatoes get scorched.
- Add your blended spinach in to the pan along with half a teaspoon of salt. Now close the lid, turn the heat to a medium/low and let your spinach curry simmer with the sauteed potatoes for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir the pan to make sure there is no extra water and also to ensure against scorched potatoes at bottom. If there isn't much liquid left, turn off the stove and let the dish sit for 10 minutes with the lid covered.
- Enjoy with flat bread or white rice with caramelized onion (simple white rice pilaf).
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