It's topsy-turvy because you season the spinach before you steam it, and it's smart because it solves the problem of how to toss spinach with flavorings once it's wilted. What I do is mix the cleaned spinach with salt, pepper, olive oil, and grated lemon zest, as though I were making a salad, then steam the leaves and just lift them out of the pot and onto plates. Nothing could be simpler, and the best part is that the preseasoning sticks—the flavor and fragrance of the grated lemon really stand out after steaming. You can cook the spinach in any kind of steamer or steaming basket, but ever since my friend Patricia Wells told me she uses her pasta pot, which has a perforated insert, as a steamer, I've been doing it too. It's perfect for the job. 1¼ pounds (two 10-ounce bags) baby spinach (precleaned and trimmed) 1-1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Grated zest of 1 lemon Salt and freshly ground pepper Have your steamer set up and ready to go—make sure you don't fill the pot with so much water that it will boil up into the steaming basket.
