Popeye Didn't Have it Like This...

I had a side of spinach about a year ago at a restaurant, and it was so good, I had to try and recreate it at home. After a bit of tweaking, I discovered the secret was to cook the garlic in olive oil for a minute so the oil would really pick up the garlic flavor. But you have to be careful, you want to color the garlic, not burn it. Burnt garlic is not good, it is bitter and will ruin whatever you're making. If you burn it accidently, you'll need to start over.

Simple Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

1 large bag of prewashed spinach, about 10 ounces

2 large or 3 medium cloves of fresh garlic, thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

In a large non-stick skillet heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add your garlic, and let it simmer in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Do not leave it! You want the garlic a nice light golden brown color. Add the spinach in batches, and stir gently. It will take just a couple of minutes to wilt down--it looks like a lot, but trust me, it will wilt down to nothing. Keep adding spinach until you have used the entire bag. Add your salt and pepper to taste. When you add the last bit, remove the skillet from the heat and stir until all the spinach has been incorporated. The spinach should be limp, but not completely mushy looking, and a nice bright green. Serve immediately.

I had about 6 ounces of spinach so it made just enough for 2 people. If you need to make more, (4 servings) you'll probably need 2 ten ounce bags of spinach. Honestly, only David and I eat this, but I can't imagine eating spinach out of a can...yuck. This is much better.

Hope you give this a try. God Bless your table tonight!