I Eats All Me Spinach

I Eats All Me Spinach,
And Takes to the Finish,
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!
Toot! Toot!

~ Popeye

Okay, so the Toot! Toot! doesn’t have the same effect without the music, especially when referring to vegetables. But, I thought of Popeye as I looked in the mirror and began to see a resemblance with the spinach eating sailor and myself. What am I babbling about? You see, I was at Costco last week to pick up some pine nuts and my handy 25 lb. bag of flour. Of course I can't just go to the aisles I need, and therefore grabbed a bag of spinach - among other things. It wasn't until Thursday, after Sharon and I ate “brunch”,

Brunch:
Four-inch spinach quiche (me) & a Ham croissant (Sharon)

that I remembered I had to use the bag before it went bad. When I took out the bag that evening, I realized I had bought a bag that was 40 oz. (2.5 lbs.). Was I kidding? What was I going to do with 40 oz of spinach in a week? [I inserted various expletives here.] That evening, I did a quick sautéed spinach in chicken broth while sautéing mushrooms and tomatoes in another pan. Accompanied with a grilled steak kabob? Tasty...and colorful, too!!

Even so, I was still left with….oh, I don’t know…39 oz.? Think, think, think Chris!

Eureka! Hold the phone! Emeril made a Fresh Herb Pesto with basil, mint, parsley, cilantro, and chives. So, if he used five herbs, why couldn’t I use spinach? So that’s what I did… with half the bag, which allowed the final result to about to about 3 cups. Good thing pesto freezes well!

For the pesto, I followed the regular pesto protocol and processed the spinach in stages since I used so much. (Okay – entirely too much alliteration going on here!) Then, I added 3 gloves of garlic, 1 cup of pine nuts, and ¾ cup of grated parmesan cheese. Once somewhat incorporated, I began gradually adding olive oil until I had the consistency I like. I added salt and pepper at the time I scraped down the bowl, before the final process. It’s a good taste! I think I used too much garlic, but other than that, I think I have a hit! I just won’t be smooching anyone for a day or two. Heeee!

So, spinach is my entry for WHB this week, with which I have the pleasure of hosting. I participated with spinach (with crab cakes) before, but that didn’t stop me for using it again this week. Back in February, I wrote:

Like all things, spinach has a family - but not the leafy greens many think. Oddly enough, as part of the Chenopodiaceae family, spinach is related to the beet and chard. Like its siblings, spinach is a wonderful source of good stuff - vitamins A, C, and K (which helps with blood clotting). And, its okay to eat vast amounts - since is only contains seven calories per cup raw.

And, to continue with the spirit of spinach, Friday night’s dinner was Spinach Pesto Pasta with Sautéed Shrimp, Spinach, and Mushrooms.

While I cooked mini penne pasta, I lightly and quickly sautéed the shrimp I had thawed earlier in the evening,

then spinach and mushrooms simply to heat (they were left over from Thursday's Kabob).

I tossed the pasta with the pesto, then added the shrimp, spinach, and mushrooms. Mmm….mmmm….good! (And garlicy…you might want to back away from the screen)

Other Mele Cotte Pesto Posts:
Tilapia with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Basil Pesto Pizza Pockets
Arugula and Red Pepper Pesto
Stuffed Phyllo Cigars