European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Food for heroes by Sharon Hudgins special to stripes maj a in whenever Post  body s  of cd Locum a Spinac d should to avoided by people Wilh live ailments or kidney hones. For Many years spinach was also considered to be an excellent source of Irun. Bui now it has been discovered hat the Iron in  is  Arm trial  be readily assimilated by the body. Of Popeye would have been better off to Lei his tin can of spinach Rusl then eat the can instead. Spinach is grown year round Wilh its Peak months being january through june. When purchasing fresh spinach figure about one half Pound per person. Per serving of cooked spinach and one fourth Pound per person per serving of raw spinach in salads. Fresh spinach unwashed and in stemmed can be stored for about two Days in a Brown paper bag in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator. Frozen spinach cooked drained and the moisture squeezed out by hand is an acceptable substitute for fresh spinach in most recipes that require the spinach to be cooked. Only fresh raw spinach is appropriate for salads. Following arc Lour of my favorite spinach recipes All of them quite easy to prepare. Raw spinach mushroom salad arrived on the National scene in the United Stales about the same time that yuppies did. It s probably a food taste preference carry Over from their Days As health food munching hippies. It also happens to be an excellent salad and one that quickly converts spinach haters into spinach lovers. Spinach catalan is a Rich tasty vegetable dish that is a Standard item on menus throughout the Catalonia Region of Spain. You la find a similar dish in Italy where it s known As spin Adiath Romana or Spitaci con Luverra in Barcelona i be also eaten tiny Savory larts filled Wilh this mixture. A particularly elegant restaurant in Barcelona combines this spinach Raisin Pine nut melange with Cream sauce in an a Gratin dish grates Sharp manchego cheese Over the ingredients and bakes it until a crust forms on top. Japanese spinach sesame will be familiar to anyone who has lived in Japan or Korea since this is a popular dish in both countries. And Cream cheese spinach is a Happy mixture of ingredients from both the East and the West. Bulge1 your biceps Popeye. These spinach dishes Are Light years Avay from that Green slime you like to gulp straight from the can. Basic instructions for cleaning and cooking fresh spinach to Wash fresh spinach Pluck off and discard the Root ends and the toughest largest stems. Fill the Kitchen sink Wilh lukewarm water add t Tablespoon of sail and stir Wilh your hand until the sir to dissolved. If washing the spinach to use raw in a salad discard All the roots and stems and Wash the remaining leaves in cold Salt water add the spinach to the Salt water and swish it around vigorously to get off the dirt. Transfer the spinach to a Large colander and rinse out the sink. Repeal this process until the spinach is completely clean of Alt dirt. Two to four separate washings will be necessary depending on How dirty the spinach is. To steam fresh spinach Transfer the washed spinach from the colander to a Large covered Skillet or urge covered pot. Do not use aluminium pans the spinach will turn them Black cover lightly and set Over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes i depending on How much spinach is in the pan until the spinach begins to Wilt and become Limp. Do not add any water to the pan. The water adhering to the spinach leaves will provide sufficient moisture to steam the spinach if you Are cooking a Large amount of spinach 12 pounds or Morel you might have to it am it in 2 pans of in 2 batches. Transfer the cooked spinach Buck to the cold Clef and let it Drain for i minute before serving or before combining it with other ingredients As in the it i e spinach mushroom salad Yuppie gourmet salad 1 a pounds fresh spinach k Pound fresh Champignon mushrooms i to Vij cup coarsely chopped walnuts or whole it Venuti dressing u cup Olive Oil 1 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 to 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard 1 Large Clove of garlic pressed optional sail and freshly ground Buck Pepper. To table fallow the Basic instructions for washing fresh spinach. Do not Cook the spinach for this recipe it should be raw use Only the Best leaves plus Lugoff and discarding All the stems and bad leaves dry the spinach thoroughly in a salad spinner or Between paper towels. Tear the largest leaves into smaller pieces. Put All the washed spinach into a Large salad or. Ing bowl and set aside. Clean the mushrooms discard the Tough Sli m end. And slice the mushrooms Lengthwise into a Inch thick slices. Hist  make Petriet t. In slices very quickly trip of no Fuir  14, 1987