Shortly after my first wife and I moved to Northern Virginia we bought our first TV, black and white, of course. Yes, color TV had been invented. The first weekend after we bought it we spent in bed just watching whatever came on. There used to be a lot of old black and white cartoons in the mornings. I remember one of Mickey Mouse and these three mice who pretended to be blind so they could beg money from folks on the street. They sang this song about “We don’t have to work.” Well it took me about forty years to get there, but now I don’t exactly have to work (for pay). I never cared much for the Popeye cartoons, but I do like spinach. This is my idea of a healthy treat.
Spinach Gratin
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the spinach to a 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.
Comments