Cooked Spinach Salad

Instructions

1. Bring 4 quarts of water or more to the boil in a large pot.
2. Pile the washed spinach into a colander, and dump it all at once into the boiling water.
3. With a spider, turn the leaves over once or twice, then lift them all out quickly after 3 or 4 seconds total in the boiling water.
4. Drop the spinach back into the colander; let it cool and drain for a minute or two, but do not squeeze it.
5. While it is still warm, turn the spinach into a mixing bowl; after a few moments, pour off all but a spoonful of the liquid thats accumulated in the bottom.
6. Dress and toss with the lemon juice and olive oil, salt, freshly ground peppertasting and adding more as you like.
7. Serve still slightly warm or at room temperature.
8. Additions to cooked spinach salad: fold in hard-cooked eggs, roughly chopped, after dressing.
9. Instead of spinach, use 2 pounds of fresh dandelion greens, washed and cooked in boiling water for 10 to 20 minutes or until tender.
10. Drain without squeezing and cool slightly; pour all but a spoonful of the liquid out of the bowl before dressing.
11. Try adding 1 cup of cooked dried beans to either of these salads.