Jay’s daughter, Heather, who not too long ago went away to college, said one of the things she misses most about home is her dad’s food. Here is Jay’s recipe for fresh spinach and mushrooms.
1 bunch spinach (approx. 3/4 lb – about 6 cups leaves, loosely packed)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
12 oz mushrooms – white button, portabella, shitake or combination
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp dry sherry or dry white wine
6-8 drops sesame oil, optional
1/8 tsp dried, crushed red pepper, optional
Wash spinach thoroughly and shake, leaving a few drops of water on the leaves. Remove stems, if desired, and set aside.
Clean mushrooms. Cut portabellas into thick slices and leave white button or shitakes whole.
Heat oil over medium heat in large sauté or frying pan. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant but not brown, about a minute or two. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms soften and become slightly caramelized. Stir in salt, pepper, and sherry. Continue cooking until all moisture is evaporated. Add spinach to mushrooms and reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir just until spinach wilts. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Optional: If using sesame oil and crushed red peppers: after spinach has wilted, push vegetables to one side of pan. Add sesame oil and peppers to other side of pan and sauté for one minute. Stir into vegetables, taste and season with additional salt and pepper.
Prep tips: Use the largest, flattest pan you own. Mushrooms release a lot of moisture when cooked and will steam and become soggy if too crowded in the pan. Fresh spinach does NOT like high cooking temps – the resulting chalky texture is not unlike eating an unripe persimmon. Sesame oil has a strong flavor – a little goes a long way. Cooking wine is not “real” wine – avoid it at all costs and use the real thing. Even though most recipes use only a little you can always drink the rest of the bottle – sherry is particularly good on a cool, rainy weekend afternoon ...!