“Popeye ate that?!”
When I was a kid, I loved watching Popeye squeeze the spinach out of a can, gobble it up, then grow muscles. Because I wanted to be strong like Popeye, I asked my Mom if I could have spinach some time since I’ve never tasted it. In my mind, I was thinking that spinach was very tasty since Popeye seemed to enjoy munching on it.
And when that fateful dinner came, my Mom put a plate of dark green vegetables in front of me. I remember the dish being a bit runny and the greens looked slimey — not appetizing at all. “What’s that?” I asked. “That’s your spinach!”, Mama said. A single thought ran through my mind, “Popeye ate that?!” After a taste of the slimey vegetable, I figured I could be strong in other ways. Goodbye spinach.
Fast forward around twenty years later.
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This is now one of my favorite helpers — spinach in a bag. The spinach dish I cook is very simple and easy to follow — saute lots of garlic in oil, pour in the spinach, sprinkle with nutmeg powder, some salt and pepper to taste, sometimes I add a bit more garlic powder, stir around in the pan and voila! Yummy sauteed spinach. One bag is just right for me and H. |
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And here’s what the dish looks like. It tastes better than it looks, promise. It’s not a dry dish but it’s not runny either. Cook it till the leaves wilt but not turn to mush (which was my spinach case 20 years ago). I like having my Sauteed Spinach with Sardines in Tomato Sauce or even plain ol’ vienna sausage. |
Spinach is good for your health! Read the benefits of spinach here.
June 10th, 2005 at 7:25 pm
i love spinach. i eat it fresh (in a salad), and i put it in ginisang monggo instead sili leaves.
June 10th, 2005 at 10:28 pm
luv spinach too. na-goyo din ako ni popeye!
pero i buy it in bunches naman instead of in a bag. im happy to say that my daughter luvs it, too! (ewan ko lang if its because my daughter eats anything in front of her, haha!) anyway, i use it on monggo and tinola (instead of sili leaves, like denden) and, since walang kangkong where i am, on sinigang and as fried appetizers. also, im trying to copy the spinach & artichoke bread dip sa italiannis, i have yet to be successful, hehe. 
June 10th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
Hmmm…does it taste good ba? Im not into eating spinach kasi eh. The only leafy veggies that I eat are pechay, kangkong, camote tops and… wala na. Pro cge since sinabi na it’s healthy and yummee, I try this one soon
June 11th, 2005 at 1:41 am
i like to use fresh spinach when i make spinach and artichoke dip… i like it with salad too!
i should try your recipe soon
June 11th, 2005 at 2:11 am
I love spinach too in one of my travels I tasted this delectable spinach soup and spinach ravioli i can still taste them in my sleep. Yummy Have a nice independence day weekend!
June 11th, 2005 at 5:23 am
i love spinach! bea loves it too! that’s what i use for my sinigang! yummy!
June 11th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
i eat spinach only when it is crunchy, i think we have spinach snacks back there right??? ayoko kasing magkaroon ng irregularly-shaped biceps tulad ni popeye e.
June 11th, 2005 at 5:02 pm
haha exactly what my mom told us to convince us to eat it. pero wait, ‘alugbati’ is tagalog for spinach right? (well, that’s what i always thought) hehe
i love sauteeing it with monggo naman.
June 11th, 2005 at 7:26 pm
Spinach? I only eat it when Brutus is around!
Am back after a long absence. And I thank spinach for giving me the needed strength. Happy weekend, Toni! : )
June 12th, 2005 at 2:58 am
Yuck…spinach is spinach and that in itself is gross. I too once thought that what Popeye praised so highly was good…but it wasnt. I’ve had spinach cooked in every way (my mom once tried to mix it with a salad) and to this day I cant stand the taste of it. And its weird cuz spinach really doesnt have a taste, you know? It’s like water, but I swear, I can still “taste” it. But I can honestly say, I have not yet tried your recipe…maybe yours will be one to break the spell?
June 12th, 2005 at 7:42 am
toni, thanks for sharing your recipe, i’m sure the nutmeg adds a unique flavor. mai-try nga.
and oh, i love sbarro’s spinach lasagna!
mrspartygirl, the spinach and artichoke bread dip in italinanni’s is indeed heavenly! share your recipe pag na-discover mo na ah
June 13th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
i remember, the only way i could eat spinach when i was a kid, was when my mama uses it in sinigang instead of kangkong. here in korea, it is considered as a very important veggie, most of their “namuls” (blanched veggies with seasoning) are green leafy vegetables, spinach is a korean favorite. do you know that greek food that uses lots of spinach? parang pie eh, with lots of mozarella…
June 13th, 2005 at 10:15 pm
let me see… larry’s bar and cafe adriatico serve crunchy spinach right? then i might have already tried it. it’s not that bad.
June 14th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
denden: Yeah! Ginisang monggo! Yummmm!
MrsPartyGirl : I just had that spinach and artichoke dip last Sunday. Yum. So rich though!
Jeanny : I love steamed spinach. Now that tastes good!
maiji : And you should post your spinach and artichoke dip recipe!
Daphne Laura : Spinach ravioli… now there’s a recipe I’d like to learn!
Christine Oo nga ‘no pwede rin sa Sinigang!
Junnie : Hahaha gandang reason naman niyan! Or is that more of an excuse? ;P
justice : Naku mahina ako sa mga transalation. Hehehe.
Paparazzi : Welcome back!
D.T.: Well let me know if I did break the spell for you!
eye : Yeah! I got that nutmet tip from Rachael Ray!
annabanana : That mozzarella and spinach dish sounds yummy!
Linnor : Ako naman di ko type ang crunchy spinach! Hehehe.
June 27th, 2005 at 8:40 am
Toni!!! Just posted my “Chicken Capellini Piquante” recipe on your old site… Hope you can post it…
Jean
June 27th, 2005 at 11:50 am
Hi Jean! I’ll check it out.
June 28th, 2005 at 10:04 am
Thanks Toni. Will be sending you more.