Sometimes the difference between an old meal and a new meal is just changing the oil you use.
I’ve been eating spinach forever. Before there were hipsters in Brooklyn, there was Popeye and I learned everything I need to know about spinach from him.
That was one of the few cartoons that aired in both Bosnia and Vermont, so the health benefits of spinach made its impression on me. When Popeye would shotgun his canned spinach and kick some ass and save Olive Oil, I would eat mine and play tag or whatever.
Sesame Spinach
- Sesame oil: few dashes
- Ginger:
- Garlic: 2-3 cloves
- Soy Sauce:
- Rice Vinegar
- Spinach
- Chili Flakes * optional
- Sesame Seeds *optional
**Price doesn’t include optional items
This side pairs with a lemon dill salmon or even a blueberry salmon. If you believe there are other meals it works well with, please send me a few of your favorite here!
A little goes a long way with sesame oil so use 1/4 of what you would normally use of another oil.
Too much sesame oil leaves an overpowering sesame taste that ruins the dish
If you are cooking a lot of spinach, I’d even recommend cutting your sesame oil with another oil.
Yes, it’s cheating.
Too much sesame oil leaves an overpowering sesame taste that ruins your cooked spinach, cutting the oil allows you to have that same taste as sesame but the same amount of sauteeing ability as other oils. Yes, it’s cheating.
Ginger Mixture:
- Ginger
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
Yes, you can use regular vinegar; you can also use 1/2-3/4 as much apple cider vinegar. You don’t have to use any of it if you don’t want to, I don’t give a shit. Ginger and Soy are enough. The key is you have to mash the ginger in a pestle and mortar because then you get that perfect pasty ginger.
You don’t have to use any of it if you don’t want to, I don’t give a shit.
If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can use a hammer… or cheese grate, like a normal person.
Turn your pan to about 50% heat on whatever electric or gas range you have. Toss in your greens and reduce them halfway. Add most of your ginger, soy, and rice vinegar mixture. Cook till mostly wilted.
Now, I didn’t have sesame seeds, so I used red pepper chili flakes. The flakes also add an additional spice to an already unique blend.
Colors opposite to one another cause each other to pop, while colors close to each other blend.
The red in the pepper chile flakes and the green in the spinach are contrast colors or opposite on the color wheel. Colors opposite to one another cause each other to pop, while colors close to each other blend.
That’s only helpful for plating. The spice is the real important thing because it balances and completes the flavor. Spice is always good.
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