Martha Stewart Spices Up Creamed Spinach With Ginger And Jalapeño

Creamed spinach may seem like a simple side, but it's actually a versatile dish that allows for all kinds of spicy additions. For an added burst of flavor, take a cue from celebrity chef Martha Stewart. In her 10-recipe holiday dinner special, shared on her YouTube channel, Stewart experiments with creamed coconut spinach, which reminds her of childhood and her mother's cooking. The catch? Stewart updates the classic spinach dish with her own flavors in the form of jalapeños and ginger. 

"I thought I'd spice things up a bit," Stewart says in her recipe video, "with a little ginger, jalapeño, and a thick, creamy coconut sauce to bring mom's creamed spinach all together."

As for what these first two additions, specifically, bring to the table, Stewart pinpoints the combination of flavors. Peeled, fresh ginger has a slight spice that delivers a subtle – yet effective — boost to spinach. For logistical purposes, you can peel your ginger by scraping it with a spoon. Meanwhile, the jalapeños, without seeds, add oomph without being too overwhelming. Stewart's recipe likewise utilizes coconut milk, though you don't have to add coconut to incorporate spices into creamed spinach; transforming the dish with new flavors works across recipes.

Of course, with incorporating ginger and jalapeños, a little goes a long way. Luckily for home cooks and future dinner hosts, Stewart outlines her ingredient ratio, and the dish comes together in no time at all.

To follow Stewart's lead, start with your spinach. The chef heats about 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pot with 20 ounces of baby leaf spinach. While this may seem like quite a lot of greens, the spinach will cook down after a few minutes. Once it wilts and shrinks significantly in size, you'll know it's done. 

While the spinach cooks, you should focus on the flavors. Stewart adds 2 tablespoons of ghee to a different pan. With that baseline, she then mixes two sliced shallots with 2 tablespoons of diced jalapeños. As for the ginger, Stewart uses 1 tablespoon of fresh, peeled, and minced root. Once they've all had some time to cook, add a little flour, cumin, sugar, salt, and pepper — as well as a cup of coconut milk. Simmer the mixture until it thickens. 

The last step, of course, is to combine everything. Once you add your chopped spinach, the dish is good to go. However, you don't have to stick with just ginger and jalapeños, either; spinach is a blank canvas, and other recipes incorporate spices like nutmeg and thyme, either of which is certain to transform your vegetable dish. What better way to upgrade your classic creamed spinach recipe than with a little bit of spice?