Spinach is one of my favorite foods, and I can only wish that I’d thought of this recipe at Farmgirl Fare myself because it uses it to such great effect. Back in my college days when I barely cooked, sauteed baby spinach and rice, with salt and pepper, was a rather common meal for me; the flavor combination was enough for me to enjoy such an ascetic meal (oh, how my palate has developed). So, this soup builds on that meal and makes it much, much better — it has a small amount of rice cooked into it and a rich background of onions and stock. It’s so easy, and so satisfying.

Susan doesn’t have a picture posted, apparently from soup pic overload, but its color is one of my favorite aspects… Emerald, it is.

I followed the recipe for the most part, except that I substituted 4 out of the 6 cups of chicken stock with vegetable stock because I was reluctant to let chicken flavors dominate my spinach, and I left some chunks of onion and little bits of rice just for some textural contrast. I’m usually a little reluctant to add good olive oil for cooked foods, but I’m glad that I used my Stonehouse Extra Virgin Sevillano Olive Oil that I bought at the SF Ferry Building. I think that its punch of grass and pepper came through very nicely.

As far as variations go, there are many… and by variations, I mean adding one or two elements to it after you’ve had it as is a few times.

It’s fantastic hot, but I’ve also been eating it cold. For me, the chilled quality adds an element of Spring, and the flavor remains quite sprightly. I think that this would make a great simple amuse-bouche at a restaurant. Served in a shot-sized glass, maybe topped with creme fraiche, to get guests excited for a fresh, flavorful meal to come.

When hot, I once added a dollop of homemade mayonnaise, which added a spiciness from dry mustard and cayenne, as well as a creaminess; I used adding aioli to bouillabaisse as a model.

I added chopped sorrel to it once, but it almost overpowered the soup. A conservative garnish of more subtle herbs, like chives or parsley, or maybe a even little roasted fennel, would work better, though.

I also once had it as a backdrop for some Trader Joe’s Thai Shrimp Gyoza, which worked fine, but I think little ravioli or dumplings, like beet or cheese, would be even better.

It’s also a very good snack in the afternoon.

And then, for a variation on a variation, I’d be happy to eat it plain and hot again…

This entry was posted on Friday, April 21st, 2006 at 2:44 pm and is filed under Recipes - Savory. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.