Also known as palak paneer, this is creamed spinach with an Indian twist.

Ingredients

For each pound of fresh spinach :

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced ginger root (about 1 inch long)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 5 cloves)

1 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 or 3 ounces of Paneer cheese.

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like)

Directions

Coarsely chop the spinach.

Cut the cheese into 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a 4 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, increasing the heat to high and sauté until it turns light brown. Reduce the heat to medium high and add the ginger and garlic and  sauté until brown. Add the spices and sauté for another 30 seconds until incorporated.

Add half of the half and half and stir until bubbly. Deglaze the pan and turn down the heat to medium. 

Add the spinach and allow it to simmer while stirring constantly. The spinach will give up a lot of liquid as it cooks down. Allow the liquid to reduce and thicken, but don’t over cook the spinach. If push comes to shove, add a teaspoon of corn starch in a slurry to get it to the right consistency.

Add the paneer cheese and serve.

For a low fat version, substitute Evaporated milk for the half and half.