This simple, 10-minutes recipe gives the usual creamy spinach a complete makeover. It features ground nutmeg, grated ginger, a pinch of salt and a splash of cream to help enhance the flavours of the spices. Spinach leaves are briefly sautéed in the sauce just until they wilt. The soothing combination of deep, pungent warmth, sweet woody notes and the velvety texture makes it a perfect side dish for the cooler season.
The Flavour Affair:
Spinach + Nutmeg + Ginger + Cream + Salt
Spinach: when cooked, spinach develops a subtle bitter taste that pairs well with many other ingredients. For sautéing, I always prefer to use fresh spinach leaves.
Nutmeg: nutmeg has a deep, woody, sweet flavour that creates an amazing contrast to spinach’ mellow bitterness. Nutmeg is also quite sharp, even penetrating, making it a powerful spice that blends happily with other strong flavours – in our case, ginger.
Ginger: adds zesty heat and a citrus background while sharing warm, floral notes with nutmeg.
Cream: balances the heat and improves the texture. A little cream infused with aromas of nutmeg and ginger envelops the spinach into a delicious ‘blanket’.
Salt: we just need a little pinch of salt to round off the flavours.
Preparation Tips for Creamy Spinach with Nutmeg and Ginger:
- The water content of spinach is super high – over 90%. For four people, you will need a fairly large pack – at least 350g of raw spinach.
- The most important part in cooking spinach is to do so for just long enough for the leaves to wilt. That literally is 1-2 minutes. A little longer, and they will become bitter and lose much of their vibrant green color.
- While you can use powdered nutmeg and ginger, I prefer them both ‘fresh’. In case of nutmeg it means a whole kernel, which you can either grate or grind just before cooking. This results in a stronger, more complex flavour, because nutmeg’s fragrant oils are short-lived and evaporate quickly. As for the ginger, fresh root offers a brighter, spicier, livelier taste which is what creates an amazing contrast in this dish.
- Because spinach releases a lot of water as it cooks, there is a risk of diluting the flavours. This is why I recommend sautéing it first until it starts to wilt, then add in the sauce and cook everything together for the last 30-60 seconds.
- To make the sauce, first fry the ginger in a little butter. Once the aromas develop, add a splash of cream, ground nutmeg and salt and stir to combine. Cook for a minute for the flavours to blend in, then add to the pan with spinach.
- If you prefer a vegan version, skip the cream. In such case, add the spinach leaves straight onto the sauce pan with sauteed ginger and nutmeg and season with a pinch of salt.
This dish makes a fabulous side to braised or roasted meat, especially lamb or veal. It also goes well with poultry and white fish. You can even use it as a pasta sauce!
Looking for more comforting sides? Check out my comprehensive guide on how to make delicious Sri Lankan curries!
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Creamy Spinach with Nutmeg and Ginger
Equipment
- 1 small sauce pan
- 1 large frying pan
Ingredients
- 350 g spinach leaves thoroughly washed
- 20 g butter divided
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 5 cm piece of ginger root peeled and finely grated
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cooking cream
Instructions
- Melt 10g butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add ground ginger and fry until the aroma develops, for about a minute.
- Add 3 tbsp of cooking cream, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt and stir to combine.
- Keep stirring for 60 seconds over low-medium flame, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 10g butter plus 2 tsp olive oil in a large frying pan (see notes). Add the spinach leaves and sauté over high heat, stirring constantly. It is important to keep the heat high for the excess water to evaporate.
- Once the leaves have just wilted, lower the heat to medium, pour in the sauce and keep cooking and stirring everything together for another 30-60 seconds.
- Transfer to a bowl using a blotted spoon to get rid of the excess liquid.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- If you don’t have fresh ginger and/or whole nutmeg, you can use 2/3 tsp each powdered spice.
- If you prefer to keep it diary free, fry ginger in a little butter and oil in a large frying pan. Stir in ground nutmeg and spinach leaves, cook until they wilt ans season with a pinch of salt.
- The reason why we use a combination of butter with oil is the following: spinach pairs better with butter, but because we cook it over high heat, butter alone may burn. That’s why we add a little olive oil. In cases like this one, clarified butter is an ideal solution.
- This dish is best consumed immediately.
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