Stuvet Spinat

Stuvet means 'in white sauce,' and in the Danish kitchen it is one of the first things you learn to make. Stuvet kartofler, stuvet makaroni, stuvet spinat: vegetables and starches folded into a simple béchamel, served alongside the things that anchor a weeknight table. Of all of them, stuvet spinat might be the most beautiful. Fresh spinach wilted and stirred through a warm sauce seasoned with nutmeg, the deep green against the pale cream, a side dish that looks like someone cared.

This is the traditional companion to kogt torsk, Danish poached cod, and to pan-fried fish of any kind. It belongs on the plate next to boiled potatoes and a wedge of lemon. The combination is simple almost to the point of austerity, but when the fish is fresh and the spinach is good, it's one of the most satisfying things the Danish kitchen produces. The season decides: the first spinach of late April, still small and tender, makes the finest version. But this is a dish cooked year-round, and honest fresh spinach from any month will serve you well.

The technique takes about fifteen minutes once the spinach is wilted. You'll make a classic béchamel, season it with nutmeg, and fold the spinach through. Pay attention to two things. First, squeeze the water out of the wilted spinach thoroughly. Water is the enemy of this sauce. It turns it thin and grey and sad. Second, grate the nutmeg fresh. Pre-ground nutmeg tastes like dust. Fresh nutmeg is warm and alive, and it is the single note that makes stuvet spinat taste like itself. You'll know when it's right.