Wilted Spinach With Wild Mushrooms & Bacon
What I love most about this recipe is that everything is cooked in one pan. It’s simple to prepare and bursting with a ton of flavor. We served this dish alongside some lemon parmesan pasta for a simple weeknight meal at home. I love the spinach that we grow at Tumbleweed Farm (Emperor is the variety). This particular variety has large leaves that are extremely hearty which makes them great for sautéing. We’ve been cooking our spinach in bacon grease almost every morning for the past few weeks and it’s so damn good! I decided to up my game a bit and use some locally foraged Chanterelle mushrooms (thanks Colin!) and cook everything in some bacon fat and white wine. The spinach becomes extremely tender and the mushrooms and bacon add great depth of flavor. This is something I can see folks whipping up regularly to help complete their dinner menu. And hey, this would also taste great for breakfast with a few poached eggs on top. Go wild!
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of thick cut bacon, chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 pound wild mushrooms (or a mix of your favorite mushrooms) cut into large dice
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 pounds spinach (about 5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large heavy bottom pan, fry the chopped up bacon over medium high heat. Cook until lightly crispy on all sides. Remove the bacon from the pan to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan and add the shallot and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and white wine. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Toss in the spinach, and use tongs to continue to toss the mixture until the spinach is wilted and tender. About 3 minutes. Add the bacon back to the pan and grate in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.