Spinach, As in France

I have a lot of spinach coming up in the garden just now, so the obvious solution is to find period recipes for cooking with it.

SPINACH AS IN FRANCE. When well picked and washed (which is most essential in dressing spinach), put it into a stewpan with a good bit of butter, a bunch of parsley, two shallots, a clove, salt and pepper; simmer over a slow fire, stirring occasionally; when ready, add a tea-spoonful of sugar and a bit of butter rolled on flour; well incorporate the whole. Fried bread as a garnish.

-Maria Rundell's The English Cookery Book (1856)

I tried this one last week at the fort.  I started by picking a large double handful of parsley from my container garden and a full vegetable bag of spinach from my allotment. In the kitchen, I rinsed both plants twice, and set them to dry on a sieve. I chopped the shallot (just one since I miscounted) and the parsley, and put ~4 Tbsp of butter on the stove top to melt. I then added the shallot, parsley, clove, salt, pepper, and spinach. I was worried about the limited liquid (and the spinach more than filling the largest saucepan I could find), but the spinach cooked down in short order, and also released enough moisture to keep from burning. Once it had achieved a consistent texture, I added a small spoon of sugar and another ~2 Tbsp butter rolled in flour.

 

Draining spinach; chopped parsley & shallot.

Meanwhile, with the spinach first cooking and then keeping warm on the back water-tank, Quin and I finally got to use the telescoping toasting forks. We experimented with a few options, but since the whole stove-top was in use, found that the best result involved opening the firebox front a little, and sticking the toast perpendicular on the forks. Unfortunately, this made the oven temperature go haywire, but it is a promising option for when the stove top is in use and the oven is not. 

Spinach as in France (left), with bonus sausages and mashed potatoes (after Soyer).

The spinach ended up being a hit with 3/4 historic interpreters, particularly spread over the toast. I found the flavor quite palatable (the shallots and parsley really added some nice depth and interest to the spinach), but alas did not enjoy the slimy texture of cooked-down leaves. Fortunately, we also had mashed potatoes going on that afternoon, and I found that they worked pretty well to disguise the texture while letting the flavor through.

All told, this dish was easy, cheap, and well-received. I'm not going to make it for myself, but I'd definitely consider it for any future living history events where I need a hot, savory side-dish while the spinach is in season.