To celebrate the creator of cult comic strip character Popeye, chefs share innovative ways to serve up the sailor man’s favourite leafy green
Palak ka halwa
Today marks the 82nd death anniversary of Elzie Crisler Segar, the American cartoonist best known for creating Popeye the Sailor Man, in 1929. Over the years, the one-eyed sailor has become etched in public memory for his endearing antics as well as his love for spinach, which was the source of his superhuman strength. Interestingly, research indicates that the popularity of Popeye helped boost spinach sales and, as per a 2010 study, children ate more vegetables after they watched Popeye cartoons.
Popeye. Pic/Wiki Common
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“Wash spinach thoroughly, specifically the flat-leaf variety that’s freshly picked and contains a lot of dirt and debris. Plunge the leaves in a large bowl of cold water, swish them around, and change out the water if there’s a lot of sand or dirt,” says chef Harsh Shodhan. He adds that larger leaves have a tougher and more prominent stem that must be pared or pulled off before cooking. To retain the bright green colour, he recommends steaming the greens for less than two minutes.
Chef H Shodhan
Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji points out that overcooking spinach can exacerbate the bitterness. She advises blanching the leaves in boiling water to which a little vinegar has been added, in order to keep the spinach from darkening. “What most people don’t know is that spinach is quite versatile and can be used in a surprising number of ways, including in delicious desserts,” Kugaji emphasises.
Palak ka halwa
Ingredients
>>3/4 cup thick palak puree >>1.5 cup mawa >>1 cup sugar >>1/2 cup ghee >>1/2 cup chopped almonds >>1/2 tsp cardamom powder >>2 tsp chopped cashews
Chef Anuradha Joshi Medhora
Method
Heat the ghee and add the fresh mawa. Stir for three to four minutes. Add half the sugar and palak. Sauté for two minutes. Next, add the remaining sugar and palak, and the cardamom powder and sauté. Once the ghee starts floating on top, turn off the heat. Add the dry fruits and mix.
Baked palak karanji
Ingredients
For the filling
>>Spinach leaves without stem, 1 medium-sized bunch >>1/2 cup grated jaggery
>>1/2 cup honey >>2 tsp pistachios (coarsely ground) >>6 tbsp pistachio nuts (roughly chopped) >>10 gm raisins >>¼ cup whole wheat flour >>¼ cup semolina >>3/4 cup dry, grated coconut >>1 tbsp sesame seeds >>11/2 tbsp poppy seeds >>11/2 tsp ghee or peanut oil >>1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
>>Nutmeg powder, a pinch
For the crust
>>¼ cup semolina >>13/4 cups whole wheat flour >>¼ tsp salt >>1/2 tbsp sugar >>11/2 tbsp pure ghee >>1/2 cup milk, or as may be required
Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with a little ghee. To make the filling, puree the spinach and add to a non-stick pan with the honey, ground pistachios and two tsp chopped pistachios. Reduce until thick, and cool. Dry roast the coconut, sesame seeds and poppy seeds separately in a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, until light golden brown. Cool. Blend into a coarse mixture. Lightly roast the semolina in ghee until golden brown. Repeat with the whole wheat flour. Add these ingredients to a food processor and blend to a coarse paste. Add the chopped pistachios and raisins.
For the crust, melt the ghee in a non-stick pan. Add the whole-wheat flour, semolina, sugar and salt in a large glass bowl. Make a depression in the centre and pour in the hot ghee. Mix the ghee into the flour with your fingertips. Continue kneading while slowly pouring in the milk, a little at a time. Once the dough is semi-soft, cover it with a damp muslin cloth and set aside to rest for at least two hours. Divide the dough into 25 small portions and shape into balls. Roll each ball into a circle, put a small portion of the prepared filling in the middle, fold over to make a semi-circle and thinly flute the edges to seal. Bake in the preheated oven for seven minutes on each side. This recipe makes about 25 small-sized karanjis.
Get your Popeye fix
Watch Popeye, the 1980 American musical comedy starring Robin Williams. Although the film initially received negative reviews, it struck a chord with fans and is considered by some to be a cult classic.
Log on to: youtube.com
Read Popeye: The Great Comic Books Tales by Bud Sagendorf, a compilation of the best Popeye comic book stories collated by comics historian Craig Yoe.
Log on to: amazon.in
Listen Blow Me Down, a Fleischer Popeye Podcast, which revisits the theatrical cartoons from 1933 to 1942.
Log on to: spotify.com
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