Spinach - what is the proper cooking method before use in pizza ?

[canadianbacon]

Hi guys,

On Saturday night I made a pizza, the first one ever with spinach.

I thought I would ask this question, which is important to me....

Am I supposed to cook / steam the spinach before using it in a pizza ?

What I did was take a frozen package of spinach out of the freezer, and just let it thaw on the counter,
and then many hours later, when it had thawed, I put it into a strainer and used my hand to push the spinach down
and this got rid of most of the moisture in the spinach.

I then added this directly to my pizza, and baked the pizza like I always do.

I used a full package in the pizza, and now am unsure if I used too much, or if I was supposed to cook the spinach in some
way before using it.  I find the spinach taste quite strong, and am no thinking I made a mistake in my method.

Thanks for any info guys, I appreciate it.

[bolabola]

hey cb
I would recommend steaming fresh spinach since I know you make a quality pizza..after steaming allow it to cool down in a strainer and then squeeze out all the water in a clean cloth kitchen towel..
however if you insist on frozen you must first boil it as directed on the package then press all the water out in a strainer..for a nice added touch saute the spinach with a little olive oil and garlic making sure to not over cook and turn the spinach brown..
chow..

[dirtydave]

I have used frozen chopped spinach in pizza and it has worked out well.  I thawed it, squeezed the water out of it and sautéed it in a little olive oil and added some salt and pepper and some chopped garlic. Tastes great and may even be good for you.

Dave

[shango]

perhaps you could wilt in bowl with just a little salt.  Maybe a little lemon (vinegar?) and olive oil too?


or use it sparingly and raw, cook very quickly in wood burner...

[Jack]

I used washed and dried raw leaves, less the stalks, on top of the sauce and below the cheese.  It makes it past my 11 and 13 year olds just fine.  I have never tried anthing besides fresh.

Jack

[canadianbacon]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the great info.  My wife bought some more this week ( frozen) and I'm going to
try it again this weekend.

thanks again !

[nepa-pizza-snob]

I saute a garic glove, dried basil, chipotle chili pepper, and salt in olive oil then add fresh spinach
for 1-2 min while tossing. Sometimes I add artichoke hearts sometimes not. Let cool 2-3 min
and add to pizza as normal topping or make a roll up with ricotta and mozz. MMM MMM MMM

[JConk007]

Heres my popeye pie

[winoholic]

I use fresh, sauteed with a little garlic & olive oil (you can use a little onion here as well).  Once it's wilted I place it in a bowl to cool in the fridge.  When it's cool I use a kitchen towel and ring out all of the water I can.  Place on the cutting board and chop so as to better spread it on the pizza.

[Chef Gray]

What sauce do you use for a spinach pizza?

That popeye pizza looks goooood.

[Essen1]

CB,

I always use the frozen leaf spinach, squeeze the water out, add a little salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. That's it. Then it goes sparingly onto the pizza usually together with boiled ham and lots of garlic.

First pic is a bit shaky but I think you get the idea...

Now if I only could get my pie to look like the one in the second pic that would be awesome. 

[Art]

Here's my standard spinach pizza. 1 pkg. chopped spinach (drained, squeezed, and squeezed some more), lots of minced fresh garlic, about a pound of bacon (fried not too crisp and save the fat), and about 10 oz. of shredded mozz. I put it all in a food processor with some of the bacon fat in batches and mix it all together. Spread the dough out on a 1/2 sheet pan and cover evenly with the spinach/bacon/cheese/garlic mixture. I bake it at 475 for about 10-12 mins until the color is right. We like it a tad on the dark side. Let it cool for at least 5-6 mins to let it "set up" and enjoy.

[Glutenboy]

I like to wilt fresh baby spinach in a deep pan with a bit of evoo.  I love freshness, but spinach (and most other fresh veggies) weep a lot of water when they are initially cooked.  This sogs up my pies.  A brief wilt in the pan just until fully shrunk followed by draining solves this problem for me.  Sometimes I throw a little fresh garlic in the evoo and brown it a tad before throwing in the spinach, just for kicks.