Wednesday 15 April 2020

Spinach and Eggs

In my next-to-last post, I mentioned how the weekend before last, because of O.K. and I not seeing each other at short notice, I had lots of food to prepare and either consume or store; throwing food away is very much against my ethics. Therefore, I found myself spending much more time in the kitchen than what would normally be the case when I am on my own.

One of the meals I had planned for us was based on a recipe I found in The Dalesman. Some of my readers may be familiar with this monthly magazine, subtitled "The best of Yorkshire". For those who are not, wikipedia has this to say: "Dalesman is a British monthly regional magazine, based in Skipton, and serving the English county of Yorkshire. Its first edition was published in March 1939, under the original title of The Yorkshire Dalesman: A Monthly Magazine of Dales' Life and Industry." And of course, it also has its own website.

Last Christmas, my sister gave me a subscription for this year. Every month (more or less - it has not worked smoothly, and my sister has had to write to them a few times about this), I find the latest issue in my mail box.

The March issue (not the one pictured here) contained a recipe I wanted to try the moment I read about it: Herb pudding.

Now, whenver there is spinach involved, you can be sure I'll want to try whatever dish it is! I just love spinach, and have always done so. Also, it sounded easy enough, and all measures are given in both imperial and contintental units.

Here is what you need, according to Mrs Simkins (whose "Country Kitchen" is a regular feature in The Dalesman):
  • 430 ml (3/4 pint) milk [I needed a bit more in the end]
  • 275 g (9 oz) breadcrumbs [I went for the lazy option, not having any stale bread anyway, and used the ready-made kind]
  • 2 medium eggs [I used three, maybe they were smaller than what goes for "medium" in Yorkshire]
  • pepper
  • nutmeg
  • 50 g (3 oz) diced salted butter, plus extra for dotting (or suet if you prefer) [again, I deviated, as I had neither salted butter nor suet]
  • 3-4 generous handfuls of spinach leaves, washed, dried and chopped
  • generous handful of chopped chives and parsley [I didn't have chives, but plenty of parsley, it grows on my windowsill]
  • salt to taste, if necessary [it was necessary, since I used unsalted butter]

Preheat oven to 160C (fan), gas mark 4.
Butter a pie dish of around 23 cm (9 inch) diameter.

Pour the milk into a pan and stir in the breadcrumbs. Whisk the eggs well, season them (best is freshly ground black and white pepper and freshly ground nutmeg), stir in and leave to stand for a while. The recipe says 30 minutes but it did not take quite that long to set.

Stir in the butter and spinach and heat through gently.
Stir in the herbs (just parsley in my case), test for seasoning and pour into the prepared pie dish.


 Bake for 25-30 minutes or until risen and golden.


 Mrs Simkins suggests to use nettle tops in place of some or all of the spinach, which I can very well imagine - only I do not have easy access to nettle tops around my flat.
She also explains that herb pudding was once a Good Friday tradition around Whitby and that it is good on its own (I can confirm that) or with fried bacon (sounds delicious).

So, thanks to Mrs Simkins and The Dalesman - and of course thanks to my sister! - I had a proper, home-cooked meal on my own for a change. I ate two pieces immediately and two the next day (heated in the microwave, which worked well). The second half of the pie is in my freezer, waiting for the next time O.K. will be here with me - hopefully this coming weekend.

29 comments:

  1. That sounds and looks delicious! I love spinach, too. I can't wait to build some raised beds in my back yard so that I can grow some!

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    1. Is that a plan for the coming weeks, Jennifer? (Building raised beds, I mean.)

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    2. Sadly, no. I'm planning to build really sturdy, permanent beds and it's going to cost some money. Not a fortune, mind you, but enough that I'm not comfortable spending it on non essentials right now when Gregg is missing most of his salary.

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    3. That is perfectly understandable. Besides, it is nice to have a project to look forward to, isn't it.

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  2. Well well. Fancy getting a Dalesman recipe via your post! I used to write for The Dalesman frequently and still read the magazine. It sounds a good old fashioned country recipe - might well try it.

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    1. Did you have a regular column, Pat? I'd love to read some of your articles, just like I am always looking forward to reading your blog.

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  3. Well it certainly looks interesting but I'm not sure that it'll appear on my 'to cook' list anytime soon. I was always disappointed by spinach when it didn't work for me like it did for Popeye.

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    1. No amount of spinach I have eaten has ever shown the slightest Popeye effect, either, but I still love it, and my favourite way is eating raw baby spinach leaves as a salad, which I have done twice this week already.

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  4. Hm, not a dish I would have tried, but it certainly looks interesting. These old traditional country recipes can often be a joy to rediscover.

    PS: Of course you can use any post of mine if you think it might be of interest to another blogger.

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    1. Thank you, Friko. You worded that bit so perfectly, I immediately thought of my anxious friend and hope it will help her to feel a little less anxious.

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  5. That looks very good. It's also nice that you have some left over to have when O.K. is over on the weekend.

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    1. I liked it well enough, and hope it will be still good after it's been in the freezer. Just wondering now what to make along with it; a nice salad and/or meat, and what drink suits it best.

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  6. This sounds delicious. We also love spinach....Ditto spinat mit ei. And I have chives growing very well on my deck. Stay safe and keep well, Meike...Also your Mother, Dad, sister and O.K.

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! So far, we're all fine, and of course we hope it stays that way. I could buy potted chives on my next trip to Aldi and put it next to the potted parsley on the windowsill, it can add a proper taste of spring to many dishes and my salads.

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  7. I admire your resourcefulness in coming up with substitutions. Certainly something required for recipes these days, especially where I live, when only about 60% of usual items (including produce) may be found in our grocery stores. Looks tasty.

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    1. Thankfully, everything is available as usual in my local grocery store. At the beginning of the corona crisis, there was a shortage of toilet paper and flour - not because there was not enough there in the first place, but because of people being so unreasonable. Now everything seems to be back to normal, looking at the well-stocked shelves.

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  8. Thank you! Born and bred in Yorkshire but never seen that recipe which looks yummy.

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    1. I've never come across it before, either; I don't know how "typical Yorkshire" Mrs Simkins' recipes are, but there is usually a brief explanation like the one here about it being a typical Easter dish from Whitby.

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  9. Well done for ad-libbing ever so slightly with the recipe. I am glad it was worth it in the end. Just like Popeye the Sailormn, I am also a big fan of spinach. I hope that OK approves. After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

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    1. I do hope that after four years, O.K. does not expect miracles from me (culinary or other) - and that I have found the way to his heart regardless. He is, by the way, a good cook and spoils me with delicious meals and great wines when we are at his place for the weekend.

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  10. Oh! I think I could make this if I use gluten free breadcrumbs!!
    And I did wonder if folks in other countries knew "Popeye". Looks like you do!
    Let's sing it together...

    I'm Popeye the sailor man,
    I live in a garbage can.
    I'm strong to the finish,
    Cause I eat me spinach.
    I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!
    TOOT TOOT!

    There, you know I had to. :-)

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    1. Popeye cartoons were shown on TV regularly when I was a kid, I have no idea if they are still running. Of course we would not have his song in English, and I can not remember it in German (as opposed to Pink Panther's song, which I know by heart and love!).
      Yes, I suppose this would work well enough with gluten free breadcrumbs, or even without crumbs - then it would be like a kind of quiche or pie without crust, or a frittata.

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    2. I wonder if Popeye and Olive are still together. They made a lovely couple. If only that horrible Bluto had kept out of things. Why couldn't he find his own girl instead of always trying to pinch Popeye's sweetheart? Still, I guess if you looked like Bluto there wouldn't have been many takers.

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    3. True! Olive and Popeye were the perfect match, Bluto is probably nobody's match.

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    4. I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today!
      There, I think that is what Wimpey used to say!
      And Bluto scared me as a kid, what a little coward I must have been as a child.
      My memory isn't as good as it was but it seems I remember my cartoons. :-)

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  11. Spinach and eggs are a favourite for me. I have whole meal toast with spinach on. topped off with a poached egg and grated Parmesan.

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    1. That sounds delicious, thank you for the idea!

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  12. This is a great recipe, I think my daughter will finally eat her spinach! We get lots of strawberries these days but I cannot find asparagus. I called my fruit man and asked him if this is the season for asparagus, but he told me it's over! He said the big asparagus is coming. I have to call him again and ask him what he means by that. We have thin asparagus here in Sicily but I don't like it, it is very bitter.

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    1. I only know the green and the white varieties of asparagus. There have been green ones (which I prefer) in the supermarket for a long time, and finally I bought some for us last weekend. The white one is being harvested as we speak, but it will probably be a lot more expensive this year than usual, what with many workers not being able to come.

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