Fresh Approach Cooking

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Happy first day of summer! My favorite day of the year! Long, languid and shimmery summer is upon us.

But yesterday was last day of Spring, and on that occasion, I ventured deep in to the heart of Beverly Hills to have lunch with my dear friend, the superbly ethereal Ms. Tiffany. (Who forgot to mention in her celeb spotting roundup that we saw random British hottie sensation, Caprice...I would have rather seen Meg White...)

Spending time with Tiffany is always a lovely and light hearted way to spend an afternoon. Delightful really.

We met up at The Farm and were both decked out in Ella Moss. We drank a refreshing bottle wine, (what could be better on a warm day?) nibbled on salads (okay, she nibbled, I devoured.), and gossiped about food, restaurants, celebs, and the merits of homeopathic veterinary medicine. In other words, it was a perfect afternoon.

And thank goodness lunch was a salad, because lemme tell ya, after having made this deep fried spinach concoction three nights in a row? I was in need of something a bit less...insane.

Why insane?

Because this recipe is so bad for you, I can't even believe it.

Does that mean I will stop making it?

Pfft. Heck no! It's tasty! Darned tasty. Extra-crispy-oily-salty-verdant-tasty. Which is why I keep coming back, and back and back...

And you should too. Now, at this point, I hope you are wondering, how can you too enjoy deep fried spinach? (That was what you were wondering, right?)

Well, my peaches, its easy as pie. Except for the fact it is a wee bit dangerous, and decidedly messy. Dangerous because spinach (turns out) is like, I dunno, 80% water? And oil and water? Not friends. So the coupling of the two is a bit...explosive. But fear not. With a handy splatter guard and a quick mind, you should be fine.

So try this my dears, and enjoy, just don't forget to carve out some time on the treadmill after you indulge in this delight.

2 pounds cleaned spinach
vegetable oil
salt
optional garnishes: lemon zest, sesame seeds, fried ginger or garlic, shredded nori...

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large, wide pan. Carefully (really, really carefully...) add a large handful of spinach...it is going to boil and splatter so the second you add it, cover the pan with a splatter screen. Cook, stirring a few times, for about 6-8 minutes until it is all translucent. Remove and drain on paper towel lined plates or cookie sheets. Salt and garnish immediately. Continue with the rest of the spinach. Oddly, this stuff can stay crisp for about an hour, (versus getting soggy) so take your time, and do be careful...

Makes four - six side servings.

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Cottage cheese is 80% water, lettuce 95 %, spinach is 90 %, and milk is 88 % water.

The first modified vegetable oil to achieve large-scale commercial production, canola was developed because of nutritional concerns in animals with the fatty acid, erucic acid. In canola oil, oleic acid replaced the erucic acid found in traditional rapeseed oil.

Looking for this site? How about you Google "Does Olive Oil Make You Sexy" or "Marty Ordman Wedding" and see what comes up! (I'll save you the trouble...this site comes up...)

Labels: Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian