For some reason when deciding what sides should accompany our beer chicken for Easter Sunday lunch, I had a massive craving for creamed spinach... but I wanted to do something different with it.

It turned out REALLY well,
(like really, really, really well!) hehe!
so I thought I would share it with my Steemit family :)

Baked Creamed Spinach with @fionasfavourites FAMOUS Chilli Jam

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I have always loved creamed spinach but have not made it in absolute ages! This time, I decided to do a baked version and to "pimp it up" somewhat...

So first of all, I got the white sauce going, which is really easy to make. In a small pot, I melt approx. a heaped tablespoon of butter. While that is melting, I add some fine black pepper, a chicken stock cube and for this particular version, I added some chopped garlic and about a tablespoon of @fionasfavourites home made sweet chilli jam! (Which is the epitome of deliciousness I tell you!)

yes... this is the FAMOUS Chilli Jam
compliments of @fionasfavourites....
International orders available I am certain ;) hehehehe
and TOTALLY worth it I can assure you!!!! hehehe xxx

Once all the butter is melted and everything is mixed together nicely, I add about one heaped tablespoon of all purpose flour and then use a whisk to mix it into a paste, then I add the milk, little by little, to thin the paste and get it bubbling nicely. once it is of a smooth consistency, I add the rest of the milk which in total is probably about 600 ml. (I am not a fan of measuring.... can you tell ;) hahahaha)

Bring it to the boil, stirring consistently so that it does not burn at the bottom of the pot.

once it starts to boil, it will thicken and then you can remove it from the heat
and stir in about a handful of grated cheese.
If you want to be really decadent, you can replace the milk with cream.

Once the cheese has melted in the sauce, you can put it one side.

Next up was to saute the spinach in a little butter and olive oil.
Now, you don't want to actually "cook it" but rather just wilt it -
which should take about 5-6 minutes on a high heat.

Once that is done,
place the spinach in a baking dish and add the sauce.
Ensuring that it is all thoroughly mixed.

Then top it with some grated cheese,
and grill it in the oven
until the cheese is golden brown.

I have to say that this was without question, the most delicious creamed spinach I have EVER eaten and I will most definitely be making it again! The sweet chilli jam absolutely brought it to life - but there must be so many other avenues to explore if you don't have something like sweet chilli jam at your disposal...

And THIS was the absolutely fall off the bone
DIVINE beer chicken which accompanied the creamed spinach!
And then in addition to the baked creamed spinach,
I served a salsa style salad (which I will save for another post),
and a whole roasted butternut.

It was indeed a heavenly meal!

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Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx

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