Different views of an old beauty

An expert’s advice on spinach

HERE’S my two cents’ worth on preparing large amounts of greens for the skillet [“So Many Shades of Green,” Oct. 31]. I sprinkle washed greens such as spinach with coarse salt, leave them in a colander for about 30 minutes while they express their excess liquid, then rinse them well and squeeze them dry before throwing them into the skillet. I find that this method reduces the greens to about one-quarter of their bulk.

It’s my favorite method when preparing greens for pies, but it also works well for herb jams.

Paula Wolfert

Sonoma