Spicy Spinach with Garlic & Ginger

This zesty recipe makes a flavorful side dish for steak, pork chops, roast chicken, and even fried fish. I've provided some alternative ingredients so that you can make the spinach as spicy (or less so) as you'd like.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs fresh spinach, washed, excess water shaken off & stalks trimmed (to save time you can use about 1 lb pre-washed baby spinach)
3 Tbs olive oil OR hot chili oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green onions, chopped including some of the lighter green part
1 Tbs freshly grated ginger
1 Tbs sherry OR spicy pepper sherry
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional: Sesame oil for garnish

In a large, lidded pan or wok, saute the garlic, green onions and ginger in the oil over medium heat until softened. Bring heat up to medium-high, add spinach and saute for about 1 minute, constantly stirring. Add the sherry, season with salt & pepper as desired, then cover the pan to let the spinach "steam" for 3 to 5 minutes until just tender (baby spinach will cook faster than mature). As soon as the spinach is tender, remove from heat, stir & serve. If desired, drizzle a little sesame oil over the cooked spinach before serving.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria