Spinaci Alla Fiorentina (Spinach Florentine Style)

A yummy, easy, creamed spinach. From the book "The fine Art of Italian Cooking" by Giuliano Bugialli. I changed the recipe slightly from the book. I found some of the steps in the book were not necessary.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons butter
• 6  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1⁄2 cups milk
• 3  lbs fresh spinach
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  large garlic clove, minced
• 4  tablespoons  freshly grated parmigiano
•  salt
•  white pepper
• 1  pinch  grated nutmeg
•  butter, to grease the pan

Directions

1. Make a balsamella by melting the butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat. When the butter reaches the frothing point add the flour. Mix well with a spoon and let cook until the color is a light brown -- don't over cook -- undercooking is preferable -- meanwhile heat the milk in a small pan -- when the milk is warm add a little at a time to the flour mixture -- the origional recipe calls for adding all the milk at once but I find I get less lumps if I add a little at a time whisking continuously -- your goal is a nice creamy sauce. Remove from heat an cover until needed.
2. Make sure spinach is clean and cut out any tough stems. Chop coarsely.
3. Place olive oil in a pan and warm on medium heat. Add the garlic and spinach. Toss and cook until wilted and the garlic is lightly browned.
4. Toss the spinach with the balsamella. Add the cheese, nutmeg salt and pepper to taste.
5. Butter the bottom and sides of a 13 1/2 X 8 3/4 inch baking dish.
6. Pour the spinach mixture into the dish and bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about 25 minutes. The top should be a little brown and bubbling.