Smoked fish, spinach and bechamel

NZ Woman's Weekly 13/11/2012

Annabelle White

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Serves 4

Creamed spinach in a classic white sauce – comfort food at its best! Add smoked fish to this simple dish and it becomes an amazing taste sensation!

350 ml	Milk
25 g	Butter
25 g	Plain flour
½ tsp	Cumin
1 cup	Cheddar cheese, grated
1	Salt & freshly ground pepper, to season
1 tbsp	Butter
500 g	Spinach, cleaned, sliced from stems
¼ tsp	Sugar
250 g	Smoked fish, flaked
4	Eggs, poached
1	Lemon, sliced into 4 wedges

Heat the milk in a small saucepan. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter before stirring in the plain flour. Cook over a gentle heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cumin and grated cheese, and cook for 1 minute more before removing to cool.
Add around 1/4 of the hot milk and beat into a thick paste. Add another 1/4 and repeat beating until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and gently cook for 10 minutes, then season.
Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the spinach and sugar and finally season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and quickly cook to wilt the spinach for 2 to 4 minutes. When wilted, drain off the excess water and stir into the hot white sauce (béchamel). Stir in half the flaked smoked fish.
Divide the spinach onto four plates, sprinkle with the remaining smoked fish, top with seasoned poached eggs and serve with a wedge of fresh lemon.

Cook's tip: When selecting spinach for this dish, look for very large leaves.