I'm not a fan of spinach. I know, I know. But hubby is. One of the very few ways I can tolerate spinach is if it's warm. Here is my way of tolerating spinach - I throw in some bacon.
Bacon makes everything good and in some cases, bacon makes it better - just check out my peanut butter bacon cookies!
Ingredients
2-3 TBSP Olive Oil
4 slices of thick cut bacon (you can use pancetta if you like)
3 shallots sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar OR 3 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar with a tsp of sugar thrown in
2 lbs of prewashed spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste (you can leave this out)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for topping
Method
Pan fry the bacon in the olive oil. When the bacon is crispy, remove from pan. Crumble bacon and set aside. DO NOT REMOVE THE OLIVE OIL AND BACON DRIPPINGS FROM THE PAN. You will be using them in the next step.
Add shallots and garlic to pan, cooking for about 3 or 4 minutes. Drop in your 3 TBSP of whichever vinegar you've used - remember to step back when doing this because man...that vinegar stings if you inhale it.
Place spinach in the pan, but do not cook it through, just warm it through and wilt it. Just turn it a few times
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if you choose).
Serve.
