The first day of spring is Thursday, so with the greening of the seasons, it's time to take another look at spinach. Spring is spinach season, and it's so versatile, it makes the perfect addition to any meal, from smoothies at breakfast to pestos for your pastas.
Popeye may have made canned spinach popular, but now that we can find fresh spring spinach in the market, why settle for canned or even frozen? Fresh spinach brings such fresh flavors to your spring table.
But it's not just the flavor that makes spinach so good - it's a powerful green that brings a wealth of healthful vitamins along with it. It's rich in iron, which boosts our red blood cell count, which is why Popeye would pop open a pan and grow stronger. Spinach is also loaded with vitamins K, A, B12 and C, as well as folate, magnesium and manganese. Your eye doctor will also tell you that consumption of greens - and that includes spinach - is an important ingredient for improving eye health.
I'm always looking for more ways to bring spinach into my diet and have found this casserole from Bon Appetit to be perfect for a springtime brunch with eggs, spinach and fresh chile peppers. I've made it a couple of times, once with the heavy cream the recipe originally called for, then with evaporated milk. Of course, the heavy cream made it much richer, but the evaporated milk reduced the guilt factor tenfold. And the name, Green Eggs and Ham, may just might entice the kids to eat their greens.
Green Eggs and Ham
8 ounces country-style bread, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
2 pounds spinach
12 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces
12 scallions, thinly sliced
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 red Fresno chilies or jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dill
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
6 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
Place a rack in middle of oven; heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss bread and oil in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish; season with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 18-22 minutes. Let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add spinach to pot by the handful, pushing down with a spoon to submerge before adding more. Cook until all leaves are just wilted, 1-2 minutes. It's OK if the water does not come back to a boil. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold running water until cool, about 30 seconds. Squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands. Transfer spinach to a cutting board, and coarsely chop.
Set a pot over medium heat, and cook bacon, stirring often, until golden brown and crisp, 10-12 minutes. Add scallions, garlic and chilies, and cook, stirring often, until scallions and garlic are softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and 1 teaspoon salt, and stir to coat. Remove from heat, and mix in cream, dill and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
Spoon spinach mixture evenly over croutons, allowing some croutons to peek through. Drizzle any sauce left in pot over top. Using a spoon, create 6 deep divots in greens mixture, and crack an egg into each one. Season eggs with salt and pepper.
Bake casserole, rotating baking dish halfway through, until egg whites are barely set and yolks still jiggle and are slightly runny, 25-30 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with more Parmesan to serve. Makes 6 servings.
Email Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.