Okay here’s a recipe using the prosaic spinach. But is this nutritious every-day green really dull, as that expression would imply? I simply adore sautéed leafy vegetables. Think collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli rabe, mustard greens and of course spinach: all incredibly tasty and healthy. Normally at home we make them simply, sautéed with garlic, olive, salt, occasionally embellished with a squirt of lemon juice one day; another day, sprinkled with a few nuts; or with fresh ginger; maybe with a pinch of parmesan cheese. The variations go on and on and on, to borrow a phrase from a dear friend. One of our earliest blog posts, running the spinach marathon, has several tried-and-true spinach creations.

Korean inspired sautéed spinach

What makes this spinach sauté “Korean,” aside from the fact that it comes from The Kimchi Chronicles, is Marja’s idea that a Korean version uses copious of garlic and a touch of good soy sauce drizzled over it at the very end. I am never afraid of using garlic and love soy sauce, so to me this is another delicious way of cooking a sautéed leafy green vegetable.

Korean inspired sautéed spinach

2 large bunches spinach, cleaned, towel dried. Remove part of the stems if too long
6 large cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tbsp canola oil
Dash of soy sauce

With the flat part of a knife smash garlic on cutting board surface then mince.

Place a large saucepan on stove top, add canola oil and bring temperature to high. Oil needs to be almost at smoke point. Add garlic and sauté until aromatic and slightly tanned (not burned). This only takes a few seconds. Add spinach and stir so garlic at the bottom doesn’t burn. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle soy sauce over it. Serve as a side dish.

To make this into a more substantial main course, you can toss it with soba noodles. Yumm.