Subtleties of cooking
Spinach is rightly called the most beneficial for the body. Therefore, supporters of a healthy diet generously include it in the diet menu. The presence of spinach in baby food is no less important, since the greens are rich in calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, E. Various sauces, purees, pie fillings, soups and pastas are prepared from it.
Making your own spinach puree at home is not difficult. To ensure that the dish turns out right the first time, follow the advice of experienced chefs:
- Avoid purchasing limp, damaged, dark-colored leaves. Fresh ones should be smooth, juicy, without spots, and rich green in color.
- Overripe greens with a wide stem are not suitable for food; they contain bitterness.
- In cooking, only leaf blades without stems and petioles are used.
- Before cooking, the leaves are thoroughly washed with warm water and dried.
- Do not soak greens in water, this will significantly reduce the content of nutrients.
- To reduce the acidity of the dish, the greens need to be thoroughly steamed in boiling water. Place the leaves in a colander and place in boiling water for a minute. After this procedure, let the hot water drain.
This green vegetable is versatile and goes well with other ingredients. For vegetarians, we recommend replacing the cream with soy cheese in the puree recipe. You can stew the greens by steaming or adding vegetable oil. Supplement the puree with carrots, pumpkin, and paprika.
Spinach puree - secrets and useful tips from the best chefs
- If you adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle, then you can stew the spinach in vegetable oil, and instead of cream, add a little Tofu soy cheese.
- No matter what spinach puree recipe you use, it will have a bright green color. You can slightly change the type of puree by adding boiled carrots or pumpkin, chopped into puree, to the dish.
- If you don't want to saute the spinach in oil, you can steam it for about 10 minutes and then puree it using a blender.
- Spinach puree will turn out more satisfying and thick if you first add a couple of tablespoons of flour to the oil where you will stew the spinach.
- What products can diversify the taste of finished spinach puree? Chopped red peppers, tomatoes or fresh herbs.
- If you add more cream (about 400 ml per 400 grams of vegetables) or meat broth to the spinach puree, you will end up with a puree soup.
Useful links:
Simple recipe
The most popular cooking method includes the following ingredients:
- spinach leaves - half a kilogram;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- butter – 50 g;
- seasonings to taste.
Steps:
- Rinse the leaves thoroughly with running water and chop with a knife. Melt butter in a saucepan and add herbs to it.
- Simmer the contents of the saucepan over low heat for no more than 15 minutes. Once the time is up, remove from the stove and let cool.
- While the greens are stewing, peel the garlic cloves and pass it through a press.
- Place the spinach in a blender bowl, add the garlic and blend until smooth.
- The finished puree can be supplemented with spices to taste.
Mashed Potatoes with Spinach and Butter
Mashed potatoes with spinach are memorable for their unusual green color, subtle aroma and creamy consistency, but thanks to the neutrality of spinach, the taste remains the same. The dish will appeal to those who are tired of classic puree and want something new. Total cooking time is 55-60 minutes. Despite its simplicity, spinach puree is included in the menu of many reputable restaurants.
Both fresh and frozen spinach leaves will work; in the end, the difference will not be noticeable. If you use milk instead of potato broth, the taste will be creamier, and the dish itself will be higher in calories.
Ingredients:
Recipe with cream and cheese
To make creamed spinach puree you will need:
- spinach - two glasses (leaves tightly packed);
- melted butter – 2 tbsp;
- flour – 1 tbsp;
- cream - two thirds of a glass;
- nutmeg – 1⁄4 tsp;
- grated cheese – half a glass (preferably Parmesan);
- salt, black pepper, ground paprika - to taste.
Steps:
- Wash the leaves and steam for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add flour, simmer for a couple of minutes over low heat, stirring with a spoon.
- Pour in the cream, add the nuts, continue simmering for another two minutes. During this time the sauce should become thicker.
- When the required consistency of the sauce is obtained, add steamed spinach, salt and pepper, and continue to simmer for the same amount. If desired, stir in paprika and grated cheese.
- Place the prepared ingredients into a blender bowl and puree. Then heat the consistency and serve hot.
Beneficial properties of spinach puree
The dish is introduced into the diet of patients recovering from debilitating and serious illnesses, and those who adhere to a healthy lifestyle.
Benefits of spinach puree
:
The dish has a weak diuretic and pronounced laxative effect, stabilizes the functioning of the nervous system, helps get rid of insomnia and cope with fatigue after grueling physical and nervous stress.
Frozen spinach puree
If you don't have fresh spinach on hand, you can make puree using frozen spinach.
Compound:
- frozen spinach – 0.5 kg (one package);
- butter – 30 g;
- mayonnaise 67% or sour cream – 2 tbsp;
- egg – 1 unit;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- salt, pepper to taste.
Steps:
- Place butter in a hot frying pan and melt. Add spinach briquettes (do not defrost first). Heat the contents of the frying pan for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add mayonnaise, chopped garlic, salt. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- A few minutes before it's ready, beat in the egg and continue to simmer.
- When ready, grind with a blender into a homogeneous consistency.
Recipe with celery and parsnips
For vegetable puree prepare:
- parsnip (root) – 0.8 kg;
- celery (root) – 0.25 kg;
- spinach – 0.2 kg;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- milk (preferably homemade, full-fat) – 1 glass;
- cream (homemade) – 2 tbsp;
- butter – 1 tbsp;
- salt, ground pepper to taste.
Steps:
- Start by preparing the vegetables: peel the parsnips and celery and cut them into small pieces. Cut clean spinach leaves into strips.
- Simmer the spinach in a hot frying pan to remove the liquid. Add salt and set aside.
- Place pieces of parsnip and celery into a saucepan, add water, and put on fire. Cook over medium heat for 50 minutes until the pieces are softened. Place the prepared vegetables in a colander.
- Place all the vegetables in a blender bowl, add the egg, butter, milk and cream. Puree the vegetable mass, add salt and pepper, continue beating until smooth.
Baby spinach puree with egg and cottage cheese
Spinach puree with egg and cottage cheese will be very useful for children and those on a diet.
Ingredients:
- 100 g spinach;
- 200 g cottage cheese;
- butter 30 g;
- two eggs;
- a pinch of salt.
Steps:
- Wash the eggs, separate the yolk and white.
- Place the cottage cheese and yolk in a blender bowl and blend until smooth.
- Place the cottage cheese in a separate container.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the washed herbs, simmer under the lid closed for 7-10 minutes.
- Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the spinach, being careful not to catch any liquid. Grind in a blender until pureed.
- Combine cottage cheese and prepared puree, add salt, mix thoroughly.
Recipe 1: Spinach puree
This is the most common option for making spinach puree. You will need the plant itself, spices and a little butter. If you are preparing such puree for a baby, then do not use garlic, but add 100 grams of milk to the stewed spinach.
Required ingredients:
- Spinach 500 grams
- Garlic 2 cloves
- Seasonings
- Butter 50 grams
Cooking method:
- Wash and cut the spinach leaves.
- Heat a saucepan, melt 50 grams of butter in it and add spinach. Simmer the plant in a saucepan for about fifteen minutes. Then remove from heat and cool.
- Remove the peel from the garlic.
- Place the stewed spinach in a blender bowl, squeeze the garlic into it through a press and puree it. Add your favorite spices to the spinach puree.
Broccoli and spinach puree recipe
Broccoli and spinach make a very rich, nutritious puree. Includes:
- broccoli (cauliflower) – 0.2 kg;
- spinach – 0.4 kg;
- cream 15% - 1⁄2 cup;
- cream cheese (or processed soft) – 0.1 kg;
- butter – 50 g;
- salt, ground pepper - to taste.
Steps:
- Cut the washed spinach into small strips. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the greens. Stir, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. When finished stewing, remove from heat and let cool.
- Boil broccoli in salted water until tender (10 minutes) and set aside to cool.
- While the vegetables are cooling, grate the cheese.
- Place spinach (without liquid) and cabbage in a blender bowl and chop. Pour cream into the vegetables, add cheese, and blend again with a blender.
- Season the finished dish with salt and serve.
Contraindications and harm of spinach puree
Not everyone can afford to introduce a leafy vegetable dish into their diet. You should not get acquainted with a new taste if you have a history of peptic ulcer or gastritis with high acidity at the acute stage, or biliary dyskinesia. It is worth limiting consumption in case of urolithiasis, cholelithiasis, or increased blood clotting.
Spinach puree is harmful for people with arthritis and gout. The high amount of purines in the composition increases the frequency of exacerbations and the severity of attacks. The presence of oxalates stimulates the formation of stones, which are deposited in the kidneys, gall bladder and large joints.
Allergic reactions are common when eating spinach. Symptoms of individual intolerance can include both intestinal disorders and skin irritation - redness and itching.
Leafy vegetables have an unfavorable property - as they grow, they accumulate pesticides, nitrogen compounds and salts of heavy metals, including thallium. These substances can provoke the development of organic pathologies.
Spinach puree with green peas and garlic
To prepare a hearty and appetizing puree you will need the following products:
- one can (350 g) of canned peas;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- spinach leaves – 0.3 kg;
- a tablespoon of white sesame seeds;
- butter – 50 g;
- a glass of heavy cream (20%);
- salt pepper.
Steps:
- Chop the washed leaves. Simmer them for 10 minutes in a frying pan with added oil.
- Peel the garlic and pass through a press.
- Place the squeezed spinach, peas (without liquid), garlic into a blender bowl and chop. While whipping, carefully pour in the cream and add spices.
Serve with added sesame seeds.
Mashed Potatoes with Spinach and Garlic
Potatoes are a universal vegetable, they can be prepared in various ways - fry, bake, boil (including steamed), you can boil the whole potato in its jacket, but first you must wash it thoroughly and rub the skin with a brush. Potatoes can be cut into cubes, cubes, circles, cooked whole, or mashed. The taste of potatoes can be very diverse, depending on how and with what you cook them. It goes well with almost all products and can be either a main dish or serve as a side dish.