In memory of fresh spinach....
Meatless Mondays often include for us a meal of black eye peas with sautéed spinach and cheese grits. This week with the recent e.coli scare across our nation, I was faced with throwing out two packages of fresh spinach. It is hard to believe that sautéing the spinach would still be dangerous, but I decided to not take a chance and I threw it away.
It bothers me to waste spinach….it is so incredibly healthy and good for me. But my uneasiness pales in comparison to the devastation of the spinach growers this scare created and the long term damage to the production and sale of fresh spinach in our nation. I wonder how long it will take before I see fresh spinach on our grocer’s shelves once again. On NPR Monday I listened to a farmer talk about having to plow his spinach crop underground. Other farms will have to prove their farming practices don’t spread E. Coli. Many may never recover financially from this scare. The same thing happened to our friend with his cattle several years ago with the discovery of mad cow disease in the US. Farmers walk a tightrope trying to make a living from feeding our nation.
This recent scare is a reminder of how fragile our food supply chain is and how far our food must come to make it safely to our table. Those who grow spinach in their backyards are the winners. The rest of us will have to adapt to chard (if we can find it in our grocery) or kale to get the benefit of greens in our diet.
In the meantime……here is my favorite way of eating spinach (adapted from the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook) in hopes that soon I’ll be able to buy spinach once again.
BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH SPINACH
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 12-oz. package of frozen black-eyed peas or 3 cups fresh B-E peas
Pepper and salt
1 t. Hot pepper sauce
Cook the black-eyed peas according to the package (about 45 minutes….and it can be done ahead of time and then the peas refrigerated) If using fresh B-E peas, the time is reduced to about 15 minutes.
In large skillet sauté onion in oil for a few minutes, until soft. Add the spinach to the skillet and stir until the spinach is wilted. Add B-E peas, salt and pepper and the hot sauce and stir until mixed and heated through (about 2-3 minutes).
Serve right away with cheese grits (and this time of year….sliced tomatoes as a salad).
CHEESE GRITS
3 C. water
¼ t. salt
¾ C. quick cooking grits
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese (or 3 oz. cubed)
Black pepper
Bring water to a boil and add salt. When the water boils, slowly stir in the grits, lower to medium heat and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally until the grits are soft and thick. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve immediately or keep warm in a crock pot or double broiler.
It bothers me to waste spinach….it is so incredibly healthy and good for me. But my uneasiness pales in comparison to the devastation of the spinach growers this scare created and the long term damage to the production and sale of fresh spinach in our nation. I wonder how long it will take before I see fresh spinach on our grocer’s shelves once again. On NPR Monday I listened to a farmer talk about having to plow his spinach crop underground. Other farms will have to prove their farming practices don’t spread E. Coli. Many may never recover financially from this scare. The same thing happened to our friend with his cattle several years ago with the discovery of mad cow disease in the US. Farmers walk a tightrope trying to make a living from feeding our nation.
This recent scare is a reminder of how fragile our food supply chain is and how far our food must come to make it safely to our table. Those who grow spinach in their backyards are the winners. The rest of us will have to adapt to chard (if we can find it in our grocery) or kale to get the benefit of greens in our diet.
In the meantime……here is my favorite way of eating spinach (adapted from the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook) in hopes that soon I’ll be able to buy spinach once again.
BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH SPINACH
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 12-oz. package of frozen black-eyed peas or 3 cups fresh B-E peas
Pepper and salt
1 t. Hot pepper sauce
Cook the black-eyed peas according to the package (about 45 minutes….and it can be done ahead of time and then the peas refrigerated) If using fresh B-E peas, the time is reduced to about 15 minutes.
In large skillet sauté onion in oil for a few minutes, until soft. Add the spinach to the skillet and stir until the spinach is wilted. Add B-E peas, salt and pepper and the hot sauce and stir until mixed and heated through (about 2-3 minutes).
Serve right away with cheese grits (and this time of year….sliced tomatoes as a salad).
CHEESE GRITS
3 C. water
¼ t. salt
¾ C. quick cooking grits
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese (or 3 oz. cubed)
Black pepper
Bring water to a boil and add salt. When the water boils, slowly stir in the grits, lower to medium heat and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally until the grits are soft and thick. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve immediately or keep warm in a crock pot or double broiler.
posted by Pam at 9:06:00 AM
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