Creamed spinach or chard with garlic and basil

Name: Creamed spinach or chard with garlic and basil
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3

Side Serves 3 15 min

This speedy, luxurious recipe is the base for many good dinners: the classic American accompaniment is steak; it's excellent on toast as a light dinner, perhaps with a tomato salad on the side; or toss it with pasta, fried mushrooms and a drizzle of truffle oil if you're lucky enough to have some in the cupboard.

Ingredients

300g spinach or chard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp crème fraîche
leaves from a small bunch basil, roughly chopped
few drops lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking time: 10 min

Step 1
Cook the spinach or chard in a covered pan in 1cm water until tender, stirring once or twice during cooking (true spinach will only need a minute or two but chard will need more cooking).
Step 2
Drain and refresh in cold water. Press and squeeze water from the leaves until they are as dry as possible. Chop finely.
Step 3
Warm the olive oil in a heavy frying pan, add the garlic if using, then the spinach and stir until spinach is hot. Add the crème fraîche and cook until bubbling, then add the basil and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 4
Stir again, then finish with a few drops of lemon juice.