Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　2 pounds bunch spinach, or two 10-ounce cellophane packages spinach

　　3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　5 cloves garlic, peeled

　　Salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Wash the spinach according to the directions on page 323, but don’t dry it completely. The water that clings to the leaves will steam the spinach as it cooks.

　　

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and toss them into the oil. Cook, shaking the pan, until golden, about 2 minutes. Scatter the spinach a large handful at a time into the pan, waiting until each batch wilts before adding another. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cover the pan. Cook until the spinach begins to release its liquid. Uncover the pan and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and its water has evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if you like. Serve hot.

　　

Variation: Spinach Sauteed with Bread Crumbs

Step 3

Adding a small amount of dry bread crumbs to the pan near the end of cooking is a traditional Istrian way to prepare spinach. Bread crumbs not only add flavor but also absorb some of the liquid that the spinach gives off, making the spinach neater if you’re putting it on the same plate as something like the Sole Meunière on page 302. Prepare the sautéed spinach as described above, sprinkling 2 to 3 tablespoons of fine, dry bread crumbs over it just before removing it from the heat.

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.