Creamed Spinach

Last week I reviewed Tara Teaspoon’s wonderful cookbook, Delicious Gatherings: Recipes to Celebrate Together (You can read my review here  ); today I’m going to share one of her recipes with you. I like recipes that are versatile, and this one certainly is. It is a delicious creamed vegetable recipe that is as at home at dinner as it is at breakfast. I cut the recipe in half (half the amount of spinach, the full amount of sauce) and had it with lemon dill salmon for dinner one night, and the next morning I had it as a filling in an omelet. You would not believe how delicious that omelet was! I highly recommend that you try this recipe.

Creamed Spinach
A recipe by Tara Teaspoon

2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ c. finely chopped onion
10 oz. baby spinach, coarsely chopped
½ t. kosher salt

Cream Sauce:
1 T. butter
1 T. flour
1¼ c. milk
2 T. cream cheese
3 T. finely grated Parmesan
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat olive oil, garlic, and onion over medium heat. Sauté until onion is soft and just turning golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add spinach and salt, and cook, stirring with tongs, until wilted. (Spinach can be added in batches, if needed, until all spinach has been cooked.) Transfer to a colander in the sink to drain.

For cream sauce: in the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir.

Whisk in milk, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce begins to thicken. Add nutmeg and remove from heat.

Press spinach in colander to release excess water, then add spinach to sauce. Stir until spinach is completely coated. Season to taste with salt.

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Delicious Gatherings, Reviewed

 

Tara Bench, d.b.a. as Tara Teaspoon was a new name to me. Despite the fact that she already had one cookbook under her belt in Live Life Deliciously: Recipes for Busy Weekdays and Leisurely Weekends, it wasn’t until Delicious Gatherings: Recipes to Celebrate Together, graciously provided to me by Melissa’s Produce, that she came to my attention. It seems that she has been in the food publishing industry for more than 20 years and, among other things, has worked as a recipe developer and professional food stylist. 

Tara says, “I am so passionate about the power of food and cooking, and how it can bring people together, allow us to explore our creativity, and nourish our bodies and souls.“ This is evident in her recent book. If you are looking to impress your guests and elevate every day meals and special holidays, this book is for you.

It is divided into five major sections: “Gather-Around Dinners,” “Serious Sides,” “Main Events,” “Breakfast and Brunch,” and “Baking and Sweets.” Each one provides beautiful photos add mouthwatering recipes, thanks to the concise verbiage, are simple to prepare. There are also helpful tips to aid new or inexperienced cooks, as well as a bit of history or other pertinent information about the recipe.

This is one of the most beautiful cookbooks that I have ever seen. There are multiple two-page spreads throughout, and they are just gorgeous! I don’t know how anyone can page through this book and not want to head straight for the kitchen and start cooking. This book is for inexperienced and veteran cooks equally. Tara talks “to” and not “down to” her audience.

One of the things that I absolutely loved about this book and have never seen before is the photo index. There is a regular index at the back of the book with a listing of recipes and ingredients, but the photo index is absolute genius. We eat first with our eyes, why not choose what we want to make first with our eyes. I thought this was an excellent idea, and I find myself referring to it often.

I have tried a number of recipes from this book (one I will be sharing with you later in the week), and each one has been a success. There is so much deliciousness packed into this volume. I highly recommend it!

 

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