Two ways to cook... Spinach

Gary’s way...  

Years ago, I was fortunate to spend almost six years cooking in the US, in Boston. From Memorial Day through to Labour Day was dining al fresco season, and at Devlin's, where I was head chef, I'd often have this dish on the menu out on our patio.Spinach is fabulous eaten raw, tossed in a light dressing, or as in this instance, lightly sautéed and served with some lovely Donegal plaice. I want the flavour of the fish and the spinach to shine through, so I've paired them with a beautifully light tomato, olive and caper dressing.

That’s the key when using high quality fresh ingredients: don’t smother them in sauces that mask their wonderful natural flavour.

[ Seared plaice fillets with spinach, caper, tomato & olive dressing ]

Vanessa’s way...  

Stories of mums sneaking lentils into ragu, or watching my own child’s microscopic dissection of her dinner, make me smile. We’ll just keep on perservering... Most mums love vegetables and legumes. One day, we’ll be pleasantly surprised, and there won’t be any more need to hide things, which is why I like sneaking chickpeas into this vegetarian lasagne, which has a delicious smoked paprika flavour.

Frozen spinach is a fraction of the price of fresh spinach, so it makes sense to use it here. To roast the vegetables, use the large oven tray that came with your oven when you bought it – we use them all the time in the cookery school.

[ Spinach, Mediterranean veg, chickpea and smoked paprika lasagne ]