Friday, October 28, 2011

50 Women Game Changers in Food - #21 Ree Drummond - Creamed Spinach



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tinker? Tailor? Soldier? Sailor? Nope. At least not yet. Ree Drummond is, however, a writer, photographer, ranch wife and mother of four whose blog, The Pioneer Woman, is phenomenally successful and has been named Weblog of the Year for three years running. She is also an author and her cookbook, The Pioneer Women Cooks, is currently the New York Times best-selling cookbook. Her 2011 memoir, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels — A Love Story, and her children's picture book, Charlie the Ranch Dog, have also made it to the Times best seller list. This past summer she also began her own series on the Food Network. That's not bad for a woman who calls herself an "accidental country girl." At the rate she's going, she'll be able to buy that country. Her personality is such that you begrudge her none of that success and, in fact, cheer her on. She holds position 21 on the Gourmet Live list of Women Game Changers in food and she's earned it. Her focus is on family recipes and the type of food that is actually served in American kitchens. I have only recently begun to follow her blog and career and found myself wondering which of her many recipes I should use to represent her work. I usually solve that kind of dilemma by asking one of two questions. Which is her most popular recipe, or, which recipe is a personal favorite? I was able to find an answer to that last question while doing some research for this post. I came across an interview, here, where she discusses choices for her last supper and there it was. I had found my recipe. It was creamed spinach! Here's the recipe for those of you who have not yet tried it .

Creamed Spinach...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Ree Drummond

Ingredients:
Sauce
1 stick butter
8 tablespoons flour
1/2 of a medium medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Spinach
3 tablespoons butter
24 ounces baby spinach

Directions:
1) To make sauce: Melt 1 stick of butter in a pot. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until light golden brown. Throw in onion and garlic and stir together, cooking for another minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly, and cook for another five minutes while you cook the spinach.
2) To cook spinach: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a separate pot. Add spinach in increments until all incorporated, and cook until wilted but not soggy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3) To finish: Season cream sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add spinach to the cream sauce, stirring gently to combine. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.


The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Ree Drummond today. I hope you'll visit all of them. They are great cooks who have wonderful blogs.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey, Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets, Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen, Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts, Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green,Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda, Linda A - There and Back Again
Martha - Lines from Linderhof, Nancy - Picadillo
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

Next week we will highlight the career and recipes of Amanda Hesser. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information no later than Monday, October 31st.

34 comments :

Carol at Serendipity said...

Mary,
I love creamed spinach and I am sure the nutmeg adds a wonderful flavor. I will be trying this recipe soon.

Carol

Debbie said...

I have Ree's cookbook and her recipes are delicious and easy too! I met her at a book signing last year and she is a sweet lady.

Rachana said...

I love spinach too and this creamed spinach looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing.

dr.antony said...

there is something similar in indian recipes..called palak paneer.

Red Nomad OZ said...

HHHMMMmmm... spinach, huh? I've clearly got an underdeveloped palate as I've never liked it - although I give it a go from time to time. It'll be interesting to see if this is my 'breakthrough' spinach recipe!!!

What's next said...

that's one of her's I haven't tried. I have several of hers in my usual rotation... Her Dr Pepper pulled pork is one of my favorites...

Sue/the view from great island said...

This has got to be the perfect cool weather side dish. I can see why it was her favorite, nutmeg and spinach are magical together.

Kim said...

I adore creamed spinach and especially love it with eggs, either in an omelet or served under a fried egg. This version looks rich, flavorful and delicious.

Rita said...

We eat spinach at least ywice a week; always on the lookout for a new way of serving it. This looks so good Mary; a must try.
Rita

Big Dude said...

It's nice to see that she is being rewarded for her talent and hard work.

StephenC said...

I can attest to the fact that anyone who thinks he/she doesn't like spinach will have an epiphany with this recipe.

Heather S-G said...

Well, it definitely looks good. When I think about it, I don't know if I've ever really eaten creamed spinach. Seems like I must have, but it must not have been memorable. Perhaps I'll give this recipe a go. Delicious pick, Mary :D

Barbara said...

Creamed spinach is an old fashioned favorite...nearly everyone loves it. A great family dish, it was one of the few veggies my kids adored. Ree's recipe is a good one, too!

Unknown said...

I have still not found my love for creamed spinach yet.. bad experience with it when I was a kid...but.. I do adore Ree :) She definitely is a game changer.

Susan Lindquist said...

I adore creamed spinach! Spinach is my favorite dark leafy green ... the nutmeg is the secret ingredient that takes it to a new level! Great post, Mary!

Sanjeeta kk said...

What a lovely creation of spinach, Mary! Totally new and healthy dish.

Joanne said...

That creamed spinach looks truly delicious. Leave it to Ree to produce some great comfort food!

nanny said...

I've been a fan of PW for several years. Not many weeks go by that I don't make at least one of her recipes. Last night it was chicken spaghetti and the night before cowboy nachos made from leftover brisket (very good)

Kathy said...

The creamed spinach looks so yummy! Enjoyed your tribute to Ree.

Angie's Recipes said...

I have never made creamed spinach....it looks really tasty!

Mireya @MyHealthyEatingHabits said...

Mary,
Thanks for the link to the interview. It was an interesting read. A stick of butter, wow! I love creamed spinach, but a stick of Butter?

Mary Bergfeld said...

Some thoughts for folks who are new to the blog. The recipes I select for these challenges are posted just as they were written by the game-changer of the week. For reasons I don't fully understand, the committee overlooked me when they put the list together :-). So, if you'll feel the recipe is too fat or calorie laden, please remember that I'm merely a reporter and was not involved in the creation of the dish. Have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a healthy and super tempting dish,love it..

Glennis said...

Simple and delicious! It's a comfort food for me!

Ginny Hartzler said...

I have a couple recipes for creamed spinach, and you can thin it out so they become spinach soup. But they all use frozen spinach, guess that's the lazy way!!! I know this would be better, and probably easier now that I think of it. It's no fun squeezing all of that water out of the frozen!!

Jeanette said...

As I looked through Pioneer Woman's recipe file, I found lots of recipes with butter and cream, so this Creamed Spinach is so representative of what Ree would eat for her last supper! Thanks so much again for hosting this weekly event.

Bubbe Bites said...

Gosh Mary you picked a great recipe. I was thinking about making this for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing with us.

Claudia said...

I have only once cooked from Ree's blog - and it was a delightful truly "American" experience. I need to look at her again - she is indeed multi-faceted and probably doesn't give herself enough credit. The creamed spinach took me back to my youth - I haven't had it in decades and don't believe I ever introduced my children to it - and now I feel like the "bad mom."

Miranda | Mangoes and Chutney said...

Maybe I'll try this version to hit the Thanksgiving table this year. Great recipe to share!

France@beyondthepeel said...

I've been meaning to get on the creamed spinach band wagon, since I've NEVER made it. My sister swears that it is sooo amazing yet I have yet to try it. I love that this recipe is so simple. I was surprised that it took flour (I'm not gluten intolerant or anything, it just surprised me). The photos you took make it look especially good.

Katarina said...

This is something I really like! Have a great day!

Foodiewife said...

I think that Ree has been such an inspiration to aspiring food bloggers. I'm one of them. She's one of the first blogs I ever stumbled across, and I fell in-love with her wit in the way that she writes. I also admired her photography. Sadly, she gets a lot of flack from people who aren't impressed with her comfort food dishes. Her recipes are simple, and many are familiar classic recipes. Every recipe of hers that I've made has turned out to be delicious. I'm a fan of hers, and it's nice to see her featured. Creamed spinach is part of our Thanksgiving fare, each year. Well done.

Taryn said...

Honestly, the thought of creamed spinach is mildly terrifying to me, but this might change my mind.

Angela said...

I adore creamed spinach!
Thank you for your explanation of how to properly prepare.

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