Spinach, the superfood

Dubai - The green leaves hold a special place in our meals

It's easy-peasy to use spinach in multiple ways. Wash spinach leaves (well), steam quickly in a pressure cooker, whirr in a blender, and you're ready to go spinning with spinach in a dozen different ways.

Great as a simple nourishing soup, use it with a base of vegetable stock or homemade chicken broth. A dash of cream or even a ladleful of milk will transform the leaves into a comforting, creamy concoction - perfect for a chilly evening. Nota bene: Go easy on the salt as spinach has a naturally high salt content. Make up for that with a few cracks of pepper.

Another great combo for spinach is cottage cheese or paneer. Wholemeal flour combining wheat, chickpeas flour, and handfuls of goodness from the millets family - combine with roughly chopped spinach, whole coriander seeds, ajwain (caraway or bishop's weed), and minced green chillies - season before kneading into a dough. And you have a very satisfying take on chapattis or parathas.

- harveena@khaleejtimes.com