Spinach is deliciously versatile, ideal for raw or cooked applications and, at The Chef’s Garden, fresh spinach comes with Brix readings indicating natural sugar content that’s as high as an apple! Here, Chef Jamie Simpson shares three intriguing ways to use spinach and plate it beautifully.
At the Bar: Farm Chartreuse
Why shouldn’t we make a chartreuse? In our opinion, it would be irresponsible not to try! This is version number two and, over the next few summers, Chef Jamie expects the number of versions to rise. This version contains spinach and fennel leaf, stem, and bulb. It also includes Blooms by George, arugula, mustard, and dill.
Fine Dining: Spinach and Amaranth
We touched on this idea in the amaranth section of our book, The Chef’s Garden: A Modern Guide to Common and Unusual Vegetables. Amaranth, quinoa, and alfalfa seeds pop like popcorn in a hot, dry pan. We then use this delicate, crispy texture to add an impressively crunchy texture to spinach leaves when raw application is the target. This dish also uses viscous buttered spinach juice.
Country Club Dining: Hot Oil Root Spinach (You Po Mian)
Sort of like hot chile oil noodles, our base in this case is spinach, which makes for a fantastic aromatic display—ultimately ending with a gently cooked warm spinach salad. Other ingredients include black trumpet mushrooms, garlic, onion, red chile, paprika—and BLiS Yuzu Vinegar for the win.
Whether you need traditional spinach or root spinach—or whether one of The Chef’s Garden’s incredible specialty spinach varieties—just let your product specialist know.
We hope you enjoyed this installment of plating food techniques!
