Spinach is good not only because it contains a lot of vitamins, but also because it practically does not need to be cooked. For salad, rinse well and shake gently.
It is better to take young and tender leaves in the salad, since they have less oxalic acid, and eat the prepared salad immediately, without keeping it in the refrigerator. With prolonged storage, the beneficial properties of spinach are lost and the taste deteriorates. The growing season for these greens lasts from March to May, and the best time to enjoy the taste of spinach dishes is in spring. In addition to vitamins, spinach leaves contain minerals and other nutrients such as carotene. The protein content of spinach is very high, and is second only to young beans and green peas.
In France, spinach is considered the king of vegetables and a broom for the stomach.
Spinach goes well with herbs, any vegetables, and almost any food. For example, spinach and yogurt salad is widespread. For its preparation, you will need three large bunches of spinach with a total weight of a little less than 1 kg, a clove of garlic, 1 tsp. salt, 3 cups of natural yogurt without fillers, parsley leaves, cayenne pepper to taste and 1-2 tbsp. l. tomato paste and olive oil. To make the taste of this European salad unusual, you can replace the tomato paste with hot adjika or another sauce, the pungency of which will be softened by yogurt.
The spinach is washed, the tough old stems are removed from the leaves, then the leaves are held over steam so that they dry a little. Then dry the leaves on good quality paper towels so they don't leave any odor or paper particles on the spinach. The dried leaves are cut and placed in a bowl. Garlic is peeled and minced, mixed with salt and added to yogurt. Spinach is placed in a mixture with yogurt and laid out on a wide shallow dish. Tomato paste is mixed with oil and pepper, this mixture is poured over the salad. Cover and chill, sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Due to the high content of oxalic acid, it is advisable not to consume spinach for people suffering from gastritis and stomach ulcers.
When buying spinach, you should pay great attention to its freshness, the leaves should be bright green in color and slightly crunch when pressed. For lunch or dinner, you can make a more nutritious spinach and bacon salad, where the bacon is fried to a crisp. Spinach leaves in this salad will need about 100 grams, 6-8 slices of bacon, purple onion, 2-3 eggs, 4-6 tablespoons of balsamic or wine vinegar, preferably white, 3 tbsp. l. liquid honey and to taste of black pepper and salt. Begin cooking with bacon, frying it in a pan until the fat melts and the bacon itself becomes crispy. Spinach at this time is laid out in a large bowl, washed and dried on paper towels. The onion is cut into very thin rings and mixed with spinach, trying to separate the rings. Hard-boiled eggs are peeled and chopped, and one is cut into 4-8 neat pieces lengthwise. Ready bacon, in order to drain excess fat, is placed on a paper towel.
The fat is not poured out of the pan as it will be used as a salad dressing. When it cools down a little, vinegar is poured into it and mixed. The salad in a bowl is mixed with the egg and chopped bacon, and the top is poured with the sauce cooked in a pan. The salad is mixed well again and served.
