Aside from its intriguing nutritional profile, spinach is a valuable cooking friend. Indeed, its mild flavor allows it to be snuck into any dish and used to create dishes that are both healthful and colorful. Spinach has the added benefit of being tasty both raw and cooked. Cook the spinach properly. **Cook the spinach at a very low heat. To keep their firmness, just blanch them for 1 or 2 minutes in boiling water. We immediately wring them out and voilà. There's no need to prepare it ahead of time to use it in soups or gravy recipes. **Serve the young raw greens in a salad with a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil and lemon juice. **Serve with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar vinaigrette with baby spinach, sliced tangerine supremes, and green onion. **Soups that are easy to make: simmer the spinach in the liquid. If desired, garnish with lemon zest and a few prawns. Alternatively, you may simmer them in milk and then puree them; **Soup with lentils and spinach: sauté minced garlic and onion in olive oil, then season with spices of your choosing (cumin, coriander, paprika). Add finely chopped spinach, vegetable or chicken broth, and lentils and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Cook for 1 hour, then season with lemon juice, tomato puree, salt, and pepper before serving. **A unique and easy complement. In a skillet, melt the spinach with the raisins that have been soaked in water and the slivered almonds. Serve with a dash of nutmeg, salt, and pepper; **Brown chopped (previously cooked) potatoes in oil with paprika, onion, a garlic clove, and cayenne pepper, if preferred. Add just blanched spinach and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes after the potatoes are golden brown. Add a teaspoon of wine vinegar and salt when ready to serve. **Make soufflés, terrines, and vegetable mousses with them. **Bread made with spinach in a flash. Steam the spinach briefly, then puree it with milk, butter, and a pinch of Parmesan cheese in a blender. Breadcrumb-line a baking dish, pour in the veggies, top with a little cheese, and bake in the oven; **Spread tomato sauce over a pizza crust, then top with chopped spinach, onion rings, and tomato slices. Bake for 15 minutes after cracking an egg in the center of the pizza. The term "Florentine" in cookery refers to a meal in which spinach is incorporated to the main course. Catherine de Medici was born in Florence, Italy, and reigned as Queen of France from 1547 to 1559. She was claimed to be so fond of spinach that she insisted that her cooks accompany her wherever she went in order to recreate her favorite meals. Some instances are as follows: **Florentine-style poached eggs: Poach some eggs, then serve them over a bed of blanched spinach with a béchamel or Hollandaise sauce on top. **Florentine Fish: In a pan, cook the cod on all sides. Place the blanched and chopped spinach in a gratin dish. Place the fish in the center and top with a layer of spinach and béchamel sauce. Place in the oven for about ten minutes after covering with grated cheese. **Stuffed mushrooms: soak big mushroom caps in a combination of water and wine, seasoned with chopped shallots and thyme, bottom side up. Drizzle a little lemon juice on top. Cook for a total of 10 minutes. They should be drained on absorbent paper. In the liquid, cook the stems of the chopped mushrooms. In a small amount of oil, sauté finely chopped shallots and spinach until all of the liquid has disappeared. Combine the mushroom stems with the crumbled goat cheese and stuff the mushroom caps with this mixture before baking for about ten minutes. **In their fondues, the Japanese utilize a lot of spinach. Cooking meat, fish, veggies, and udon noodles in dashi broth or chicken broth are the ingredients for these table-side meals. **Steam the spinach, cut it coarsely, and soak it in dashi broth seasoned with soy sauce. Drain after a few minutes and serve with a sauce made in a pan with dashi, soy sauce, sugar, and dry toasted sesame seeds; **Steam the spinach, drain it, then place a few leaves on a bamboo mat in the Japanese method (the kind used for preparing sushi). Roll the carpet tightly to wring it out thoroughly and make rolls that will be placed upright in the plate after the ends have been equalized with a knife; **Cook a sliced onion in oil, then add cumin and cardamom seeds, cinnamon, a bay leaf, cloves, a tomato, garlic, and finely chopped fresh ginger. After 1 minute, add the chopped spinach and cook for another minute. Cook till dark green, then add turmeric powder, garam masala (an Indian spice blend), tomato puree, sour cream, white cheese cubes (bocconcini or other) and fresh coriander leaves. Serve after a few minutes of cooking; **Turkish Style: Steam them and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. In a skillet, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent, then add the spinach and simmer for ten minutes. Toss spinach with minced garlic and yogurt, then serve. **Spinakopita is made easily by enclosing blanched and drained spinach between layers of phyllo pastry drizzled with olive oil or butter. Add feta or another cheese if preferred, then season with coriander powder, cumin, and nutmeg. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes after seasoning with salt and pepper.