Vegetable
Spinach
EspinacaEspinacSpinacia oleracea
You buy a huge bag, tip it into the pan and end up with a handful. Allow about 250 g raw per person if it's the main event.
When
Around: Oct–Apr · At its best: Dec–Mar
Around: Oct–Apr · At its best: Dec–Mar
Around: Apr–Oct · At its best: Jun–Sept
Around here
Espinacs a la catalana is the home dish: spinach sautéed with garlic, raisins and pine nuts, sometimes with a little pork belly or botifarra. In Lenten cooking across much of Spain, it's stewed with chickpeas and salt cod. You'll find it in every Catalan market in winter.
At the market
- Perky, deep green leaves with a bit of crunch.
- No slimy or yellowing leaves at the bottom of the bunch: they spoil the rest.
- Bunches with roots carry more soil but last longer than bagged leaves.
- Small-leaved ones are more tender for eating raw.
At home
- In the fridge, unwashed, in a bag or tub lined with kitchen paper to soak up moisture.
- They last 2-4 days; bunches a little longer.
- Wash in plenty of water, changing it until no grit is left at the bottom.
If you have too much
- Blanched 1 minute, cooled, squeezed dry and frozen in portion-sized balls.
- As soup with potato or leek; it freezes well.
- Filling for cannelloni or a pie, with béchamel or ricotta-style cheese.
- Cooked leftovers go into an omelette for the next day.
In the kitchen
- Raw: tender leaves in a salad with orange and nuts.
- Espinacs a la catalana, with raisins, pine nuts and garlic.
- Chickpea stew with spinach and salt cod.
- Wilted in a minute with garlic and a fried egg on top.
- In cannelloni with béchamel.
- As a soup with a splash of cream or olive oil.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 23 kcal
- Water
- 91% water
- Carbs
- 3.6 g
- Sugars
- 0.4 g
- Fibre
- 2.2 g
- Protein
- 2.9 g
Stands out for
- High in vitamin K482.9 µg · 644% of what you need in a day
- High in folate194 µg · 97% of what you need in a day
- High in vitamin A469 µg · 59% of what you need in a day
- High in vitamin C28.1 mg · 35% of what you need in a day
- Source of potassium558 mg · 28% of what you need in a day
- Source of magnesium79 mg · 21% of what you need in a day
- Source of iron2.7 mg · 19% of what you need in a day
- Source of vitamin E2 mg · 17% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- OrangeNov–MayOranges don't ripen once picked: what you buy is what you get. So it pays to know how to choose them.
- LeekOct–MarAn onion that never forms a bulb and tastes milder. The white part comes from earthing it up as it grows: the higher the soil, the longer the white.
- ChardSept–JunTwo vegetables in one: the leaf, which cooks in no time, and the stalk, which needs longer. In Catalan, calling someone a «bleda» (chard) means they're a wet blanket.