Day Nine: Lemon Spinach
THIS is my idea of a vegetable heaven! Fresh and fast and flavorful! The inspiration for tonight came from this morning's visit to the farmers market. My favorite stop is to see Charles, a farmer in his late 70s, old and frail enough that I always breathe a sigh of relief when he returns each spring. Charles is a bit bent over but still spry, his eyes a bit bleary with cataracts but still sparkle for regular customers. I came home ruby-red spears of rhubarb and a huge bag of fresh spinach, dirt still on the roots, leaves deep in color, deep in flavor. The recipe comes from a favorite cookbook, French Food at Home by Laura Calder, one I turn to again and again for spare and simple -- and delicious -- food. I'll make this again soon -- trying supermarket spinach and halving the fat. LEMON SPINACH Active time: Maybe 10 minutes? (mostly washing spinach leaves) Time to table: Maybe 20 minutes? Serves 2 1 pound fresh spinach 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Grated