Zesty Casserole Could Convert Spinach Haters

When I return from a trip abroad, my first culinary desire is invariably Indian food. I suppose it is the fire and spice I am craving to jolt me back to my daily reality.

So on my return from Budapest recently, my husband and I dined at a local Indian restaurant. I ordered shrimp saag (shrimp in a creamy, spicy spinach-based sauce).

It was quite delicious, but jet lag set in, making it feel like 2 a.m. in my internal time zone, and I was unable to finish my dinner. My husband considerately suggested that I return home on my own while he settled the bill, so doggie bag in hand I followed his advice.

Just as I neared our building, a skinny young boy of about 9, dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, approached me with a bag of Nestle Crunch bars.

“Ma’am, would you like to buy a chocolate bar?” he asked politely. My usual response is a simple no, but I was relaxed, tired and out of sync, thereby my overly informative resply was: “I don’t have any money, only some Indian food.”

“Well, can I have the Indian food?” he replied.

“No,” I said, continuing in this ridiculously reasonable mode. “I want it.”

So the boy proceeded to the next nearest stranger with the same request. And the woman responded with the same simple firm no I usually dish out automatically, so the boy returned to me.

Looking me square in the eyes, he stated quietly and simply: “I’m starving and the only way I can get money is by stealing.”

The result of this appeal was to make me look inward where I saw a well-fed monster who had just returned from eating pastry throughout Austria and Hungary and was too stuffed to finish her dinner.

I started to hand the brown bag to the boy saying, “Here, honey. You take it.”

But the food person in me couldn’t resist asking, “You do like shrimp?”

“Oh, yeah,” said the boy.

Both of our hands were still on the bag when I thought to mention, just for the sake of thoroughness: “In spinach sauce?”

To my amazement, the boy let go of the bag, saying, “Uh-uh.”

I found myself laughing with delight and saying, “You boys are all the same. You need Popeye to persuade you to eat your spinach.”

And with that he was off running to his next potential customer.

The following is my personal favorite way to eat spinach, adapted from a recipe by the late Laurie Colwin, one of my favorite food writers. It is creamy, spicy, cheesy and zesty, and if you didn’t tell a confirmed spinach hater what it was, you’d likely have a convert on your hands.

Creamed Spinach

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (9- or 10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package directions

1/4 cup evaporated milk

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

3 ounces Monterey Pepper Jack cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour. Cook and stir on low heat a few minutes, but do not brown. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Strain spinach, pressing to release about cup liquid. Combine liquid with evaporated milk. Gradually add to butter-flour mixture, stirring constantly. Add black pepper to taste, celery salt and cheese. Add spinach and stir until well combined.

Turn mixture into buttered 1-quart casserole. Bake at 300 degrees until bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings.