Do the Irish eat spinach?

Tonight as I took stock of the items in my refrigerator, I started making big plans to have a healthy spinach salad as I pulled a four-day-old bag of fresh, local spinach out from the bottom shelf. I grabbed a few more ingredients to add to the salad, opened the bag and as I started putting it into a colander to rinse it, my heart sank: a classic case of the wilting greens! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not really into wilty salads. So, without a thought, I did what any food lover would do--I ran to my computer, clicked on my bookmark for the Food Network website, and poof! I had a recipe for garlic sauteed spinach from Ina Garten. I thought since the spinach had started to wilt, sauteing it would solve the problem, since when you saute it, it wilts anyway, but it tastes good. A few simple ingredients and a quick trip to the saute pan and voila! Delicious, garlicky, fabulous, warm spinach. The perfect cure for the wilted green blues.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten

This is a great recipe to make on the fly when your nutritious greens are wilty and sad-looking. It's tasty, satisfying, and makes a great side for any meal. It also makes a great meal by itself if you just want a little something. The lemon is key to brightening the dish. This might be great, too, with a little bit of grated Parmigiano on top (ease up on the salt, though).

16 ounces baby or regular spinach

Extra-virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pat unsalted butter

Lemon juice

Sea salt, optional

Rinse the spinach well in cold water and dry it, but leave a little moisture on the leaves.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for a minute or less, making sure the garlic doesn't brown. Add the spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and toss it with the garlic and oil. Cover the pot and cook for two minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat to high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of the lemon juice, and a sprinkling of the sea salt, if desired. Serve hot.

Serves 4.