SPINACH	VEGETABLES - KNOW YOUR VEG

With its unique flavour and bright green colour, spinach is a popular, easy-to-prepare and simple-to-cook vegetable. It is especially popular in Italy where Florentine dishes have a high spinach content. It wilts quite quickly so when buying look for crisp, dark green leaves with firm, hard stalks. Avoid spinach that has yellow patches or looks limp. When choosing, buy plenty as it reduces on cooking 225g spinach is sufficient for one serving.

How To Use Spinach

Spinach can be eaten raw or cooked. Baby spinach is the best choice to serve raw and can be included in salads serve simply with black pepper and lemon juice. Spinach can be served as a side dish with black pepper and butter or added to soups, sauces, stuffings, vegetable bakes, risottos and curries.

How To Prepare Spinach

Remove any tough stalks from the leaves and rinse thoroughly several times in cold water to remove any grit.

How To Cook Spinach

Spinach can be steamed or stir-fried. Place the spinach in a pan and cook it gently for 2 - 4 minutes, with just the water clinging to the leaves after washing, or until it just starts to wilt. To stir-fry, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add the spinach, stir-fry for 2 - 3 minutes or until just starting to wilt. Baby leaf spinach is best eaten raw.

How To Store Spinach

Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

The information and images for this article have come from www.thinkvegetables.co.uk. It provides full information on all the main vegetables available on the UK market including nutritional information and delicious recipes. The site is a service provided by Mack Vegetables, one of the largest and most successful suppliers of fresh vegetables in the UK, serving a wide range of customers from caterers to major multiples. You can find out more about Mack by visiting the website at www.mwmack.co.uk