a bowl of fun

Frittelle di Spinaci.

Posted on December 18, 2009 by admin

I saw spinach being sold at the grocery. I would love to buy and try cooking with it, but I don’t know any spinach recipe. I’m glad to have across this recipe and I will try this one soon.

Frittelle di Spinaci
- Makes 8 to 10 fritters, depending on size -
Ingredients

1 pound fresh, mature spinach
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra-virgin) plus more for frying the fritters
1 medium shallot, chopped
1/4–1/2 cup of fresh mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, sage, chives or marjoram (this amount can vary according to your preference)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
3 heaping tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure
1. Separate the spinach leaves, removing most of the stem portion. Wash the spinach thoroughly by immersing it in a tub or basin of cold water; agitate it and let it sit for a few minutes, then gently lift the spinach out of the water and place it in a colander to drain.

2. Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the chopped shallot. Sauté the shallot gently, stirring until it starts to turn translucent. Shake most of the water off the spinach and add it to the pan, using tongs to turn it as it wilts and cooks. Season the spinach with a pinch of salt.

3. After a minute or so of cooking, the spinach should be wilted and soft. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a fine-meshed sieve and allow the spinach mixture to drain and cool.

4. In the meantime, finely chop the herbs and set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs lightly to break them up, then whisk in the flour, nutmeg, cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the herbs.

6. Turn out the spinach mixture onto a cutting board and run a chef’s knife through it two or three times to coarsely chop it. Add it to the batter and use a spatula to fold everything together.

7. In the same skillet, add enough olive oil to a depth of about 1/8 of an inch and heat it over medium heat until it is hot enough to make a test dab of batter sizzle. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan, spreading them slightly with the back of the spoon. Fry the fritters 4 or 5 at a time, turning them when they turn light golden brown

8. Drain the fritters on paper towels and serve hot or at room temperature. They may also be reheated in a hot oven, arranged in a single layer on a baking sheet.

*image and recipe via http://www.seriouseats.com/.