Sauté of Grated Zucchini and Chopped Spinach

Or as Julia Child would call it, "Courgettes aux Epinards".

This is right out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two.  It is surprisingly tasty.  My Sweet Lady Wife – who is not a zucchini fan – raved about it.

And it was easy to make.  With the grating disk in my food processor it took all of about 30 seconds to grate all that zucchini.  

Because you are adding salt to the zucchini after grating in order to draw out the moisture, it's probably best that the butter at the end be unsalted.  My favorite unsalted butter is Life in Provence  Unsalted Butter, produced in Ré in Poitou, South of Brittany.

Sauté of Grated Zucchini and Chopped Spinach

2 lbs zucchini
1 lb fresh baby spinach
3 Tablespoons Olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, pressed or mashed
3-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Sale and pepper

Cut the stem and tip off each zucchini and grate them.  Toss the grated zucchini with 2 teaspoons of salt. Let drain in a colander for several minutes.  Take one handful of the grated zucchini at a time and squeeze out most of the liquid.  Place the zucchini on a paper towel.

Drop the baby spinach leaves into boiling water and leave them there just for a minute or so until they are limp.  Drain and run cold water of the spinach to stop the cooking.  Let it cool and drain a bit.  One handful at a time, squeeze the liquid out of the spinach and then coarsely chop it.

Put the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the zucchini and garlic.  Stir frequently.  When the zucchini is almost tender add the spinach and mix together well.

Put a lid on the pan and turn the heat to low and let it cook until the spinach is tender, stirring frequently.

When it's ready to serve, remove form the heat and stir in the butter. Salt and pepper to taste (I added neither)