Fresh Spinach

Microwave spinach is one of those bare-bones cooking moves that doesn’t get talked about enough. Five minutes covered in a glass dish, no oil, no boiling water to drain off, and you end up with tender leaves that hold their bright green better than the stovetop version.

The key is the water clinging to the leaves after you wash them. That’s all the moisture you need, the trapped steam wilts everything down evenly without turning the greens gray or slimy.

Stirring at the 2-minute mark is the only thing standing between you and a half-cooked, half-still-raw pile, the leaves on top steam slower than the bottom.

Kitchen Tips

• Pull the thick center stems on mature spinach, baby spinach can go in whole.
• Use a glass or ceramic dish, not metal, and cover tightly so the steam stays in.
• Salt and a knob of butter or a drizzle of olive oil at the end is all this needs, the spinach itself is the flavor.
• A squeeze of lemon brightens it instantly and balances the slight earthy bitterness.

Variations

• Toss the wilted spinach with a smashed garlic clove and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a spicier side.
• Stir a spoonful of cream cheese or ricotta into the hot leaves for a quick creamed spinach.
• Top with toasted pine nuts and golden raisins for a Catalan spinach a la catalana riff.