Popeye Says Salut

DEAR SOS: The Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas has a delicious and unusual creamed spinach with Pernod on its dinner menu. I would love the recipe and am sure it would make an enthusiastic spinach eater of anyone.

--CAROL

DEAR CAROL: Let’s find out.

SADDLE PEAK LODGE CREAMED SPINACH

Water

Salt

3 pounds spinach, stems removed

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

3 cups heavy whipping cream

Pepper

1 tablespoon Pernod

Blanch spinach in large pot with boiling salted water about 3 minutes. Remove spinach with slotted spoon and plunge into ice water to stop cooking and maintain green color. Drain.

Place spinach in cheese cloth and ring out excess water. Chop spinach coarsely or finely, as desired. Set aside.

Melt butter in large skillet and saute shallots 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups cream and bring to slow simmer. Add half of spinach, stirring slowly with whisk. Add remaining cream and spinach and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cream is reduced and no longer thin around sides of pan, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in Pernod.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings:

362 calories; 209 mg sodium; 128 mg cholesterol; 35 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 1.40 grams fiber.

No More Tears

DEAR SOS: I would love to know how to bake an onion. It sounds simple, but I’ve tried and tried to find a simple recipe to no avail. Can you help?

--GRACE

DEAR GRACE: Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to find. Here is a recipe for baking onions in foil used by chefs.

BAKED ONIONS

6 onions

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

Peel onions and place each in square of foil. Cut cross in top of each onion and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Dot with butter. Fold foil over onions and seal.

Place in sallow pan and bake at 350 degrees 1 hour. Turn back foil and bake until tender, about 10 more minutes.

6 servings. Each serving:

136 calories; 513 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.47 gram fiber.

Dosti’s latest book is “DEAR SOS: Dessert Recipe Requests to the Los Angeles Times.” To order, send a check for $15.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling to SOS Desserts, Los Angeles Times, Department FS, P.O. Box 2348, Chatsworth, CA 91313-9799. Or call (800) 246-4042, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday to use Visa or MasterCard. The original “DEAR SOS” cookbook can be ordered in the same manner for the same price.