The Spinach Souffle

Once upon a time I had a garden that was overtaken by spinach. It invaded the herbs, the turnips, the carrots, my dreams, killed off the onions, but shaded the cabbages.

Soon that darn spinach was known as The Spinach. Eventually enough was enough, and my husband and I threw a Spinach Garden Party. All guests were encouraged to take a grocery bag, go out in the garden, and load up on anything they wanted. However, for every bag they filled, they had to take another bag filled with The Spinach. Two bags if I could sucker them.

Of course, all food served at this party was made fresh from The Spinach — spinach dip, spinach egg rolls, spinach stuffed chicken breasts and pork chops, spinach salad, and spinach soufflé. No doubt there were some other horribly sneaky spinach treats that I have since forgotten — if I had found a spinach drink that was palatable, I would have served that too.

Spinach mojitos? Perhaps not. But I digress.

On to The Spinach Soufflé. This is something I make fairly regularly, but much of my measurements are approximate. It is very dry here, so you may have to adjust your measurements accordingly.

How to make Spinach Souffle:

8 cups of uncooked spinach leaves, loosely packed

5 – 7 eggs (my flock is mixed, my eggs vary from Serama-sized to HOLY COW THAT HAD TO HURT!)

1/2 – 1 cup flour (this varies depending on how much water the spinach holds)

A strong flavored cheese (I like pepper jack, manchego, or sharp cheddar)

1 medium onion or 1 bunch green onions

Salt, pepper, seasonings to taste

Optional: 4 or 5 slices of cooked bacon, sausage, ham, or whatever

1. Chop onions. Pan cook until onions are beginning to clear. Set aside to cool a little.

2. Pack spinach, flour, seasonings & eggs into food processor or blender.

3. Puree/liquefy. This should be pretty liquidy, but if it seems too wet add a tablespoon or more of flour. The more wet it is, the longer it takes to cook. On the other hand, too much flour makes the soufflé more like a bread, so I tend to eyeball it.

4. Pour into a greased glass pan.

5. Chop up optional bacon and a few chunks of spicy cheese; drop into mixture. Stir in cooled onions (You can always blend the bacon & onions in at the beginning, but I have a problem with liquid meat). If I am leaving out the meat, I like to blend the onions with the spinach, because then the whole soufflé is light and fluffy.

6. Cover (a glass lid is best) and bake 35-55 minutes at 375 degrees. I have found this can vary greatly based on how wet or dry the spinach was.

7. Remove when soufflé at the bottom of the pan is lightly browned and an inserted tooth pick comes out clean. Similar to when you are baking a cake.

8. Optional: Drop a few slices of spicy cheese on top, return to oven about 5 minutes and remove. Serve hot.

Notes: This can turn out bland if you forget your seasonings, but the texture is light and fluffy, and even the most discerning toddler will love the color.

Unless they hate green, because then you are hosed.

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