Spinach inquisition: City restaurants celebrate Int'l Spinach Day with interesting dishes

Though they might seem like a highly unlikely and incongruous duo to be written about in the same sentence mdash what with one being a fictional cartoon character and the other a French queen mdash Catherine de Medici and Popeye The Sailor have one thing in common Their obsession with spinachIn fact thanks to the former dishes served on a bed of wilted spinach are known as ldquoFlorentinerdquo reflecting the birth of the Italianborn Catherine in the city of Florence Case in point being the beloved riff over Eggs Benedict a la Eggs FlorentineWidely recognised as one of the healthiest foods on the planet not in the least for its high iron content and being a great source of protein calcium fibre and vitamins A C and K we love our palak in its myriad iterations No big surprise then today is celebrated as International Spinach DayThe Guidersquos top 5 picksSpanakopita tartA riff on a traditional Greek spanakopita this tart version of the pie is one of the signature dishes at Balsa Lower Parel This one comprises a creamy spinach potato and feta mixture sitting pretty in a flaky delicate phyllo pastry crust that literally shatters to the bite A cooling dill cream served alongside makes it the perfect summer dishLog on to balsamumbaiCall 8657929833Cost Rs 495Spinach ravioli in pesto beurre blancAnother dish that heroes the whole lsquospinach on spinachrsquo trend is this pasta one by Silver Beach Cafeacute Available at all three of its Bandra Juhu and Andheri outposts this iteration has freshly made spinach ravioli stuffed with sauteacuteed spinach and homemade ricotta cheese The ravioli are then tossed in a creamy emulsion of basil pesto butter and white wineLog on to silverbeachcafeCall 9920771234Cost Rs 565Crunchy chlorophyll dim sum in red Thai curryAs outre as its name might seem this dish from Santeacute Spa Cuisine at BKC is a celebration of subtle flavours with a jazzedup presentation Both vegan and glutenfree the dim sums are made of tapioca flour and spinach paste filled with a combination of spinach bok choy and celery These are then plated with red Thai curry as the base which is also vegan and sent off with a garnish of a green scallion chutneyLog on to santemumbaiCall 9136962944Cost Rs 425Spinach tofu edamame saladFar from being a mere side act this Japanese salad served at Zenmai in Santacruz is a refreshing vegan main show that has a bright green spinach base Atop this sits a blob of silken tofu and edamame beans for texture Typical Japanese garnish accoutrements like a sesameponzu sauce fried garlic and fried ginger anoint it along with unusual ones like a zingy ginger jelly and wakame leavesLog on to zenmaimumbaiCall 9136699701Cost Rs 475Gogreen egg cupsAn innovative culinary hybrid of a muffinmeetssouffleacute these spinachredolent ovenbaked egg cups from The Bandstand Pantry in Bandra are as healthy as they are light and airy Aptly named lsquogogreenrsquo these ketofriendly breakfast cups are made with egg whites along with chopped baby spinach broccoli and Hass avocados for the ultimate glut of all things greenLog on to thebandstandpantryCall 9920100084Cost Rs 345Spinach croquettasIngredientsgtgt 300 gm chopped spinachgtgt 100 ml milkgtgt A pinch of nutmeg powder gtgt 50 gm mozzarella cheese gtgt 1 tsp chopped garlic gtgt 1 tsp chopped onion gtgt 15 ml olive oilgtgt A pinch of crushed black pepper gtgt Salt to tasteFor crumbinggtgt 50 gm panko bread crumbs can be substituted with fresh bread crumbs gtgt 30 gm refined flour maidagtgt 30 ml waterFor fryinggtgt 300 ml sunflower oilMethodHeat olive oil in a frying pan and once slightly smoky add all the main ingredients mixing well Cook for four to five minutes until the spinach is wilted Allow to cool to room temperature while still in the pan Using the palm of your hands roll the cooled mixture into round croquettas and roll in the crumbing mixture Shallowfry in sunflower oil over mediumhigh heat till golden brown Serve hot with any spicy sauce or garlic aioliMegha Datwani owner and recipe developer Poco Loco Tapas and Bar Khar