This break, I tried to think of some music related topics that I could write about for my column. I considered writing a post about the Dodo’s album, “Visiter,” which I’ve been listening to non-stop, or maybe one about the effects of the internet on our relationship to music. Although I gave a fair amount of thought to these potential posts, I was continually preoccupied with thoughts about food: turkey and stuffing, apple pie and pumpkin flan, roasted chicken and tacos al pastor. It seems as though most of my break was spent eating or cooking. So, at least for this week, I venture into the world of the food blog.

This recipe is one that my family makes for thanksgiving, but its also wonderful any time of year. In my mind, it works well as a dish to make at school; it’s fast and simple, but also tasty and exciting. I made this spinach for dinner tonight and it couldn’t have taken more than thirty minutes. Also, its vegetarian. As a socially conscious Texan, I decided this summer that I would try to reduce the amount of meat in my diet. Full-fledged vegetarianism was out of the question, but I’ve decided to become more conscious about what I was consuming. This spinach helped round out a meat-less dinner that left me completely satisfied.

Chipotles in adobo should be easy to find in any grocery store (they might even have them at weshop?) and are great to have around. Mexican crema is so delicious and well worth seeking out if you’ve got the energy. There’s a mexican grocery store in Meriden where we purchased ours. If not, heavy cream or creme fraiche would certainly work. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound fresh spinach

1/2 – 1 cup mexican crema (or crême fraiché or heavy cream)

3-5 chipotles in adobo

1 teaspoon adobo sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped (optional)

3 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Remove the stems of the spinach, wash, and dry well.

2. Cut off the stems and remove the seeds from the chipotles. Chop into 1/4 inch slivers.

3. Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, saute the onion for 3 or 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Immediately add the spinach (working in batches if you’re skillet isn’t large enough). Cook for 3-5 minutes, spooning out excess liquid, until all the spinach is wilted.

4. Adjust the stove to low and add the cream. (If you’d like, you can start with 1/2 a cup and then adjust.) Start adding the chopped chipotles and adobo sauce. Continue to add chipotle and sauce until you’ve reached desired heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.