A side dish that’s ideal for holiday dinners

The holiday season will be here soon. Delicious family-focused meals are a hallmark of the holiday season. It is helpful to have a variety of recipes at the ready to ensure that meals large and small are a success.

While the main course might get most of the attention, don’t forget about the side dishes that complement and complete a meal. “Creamed Spinach With Taleggio” courtesy of “Rachael Ray 50: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life” (Ballantine Books) by Rachael Ray is a flavorful and versatile side dish that can be paired with roasts or poultry.

Creamed Spinach With Taleggio

Serves 8 2 pounds mature, large-leaf spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped (3 or 4 bunches)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound Taleggio, the rind trimmed and the cheese diced

Juice of 1/2 lem

on 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Line a very large strainer or colander with a large, clean kitchen towel. Fill the colander with spinach leaves and pour boiling water from a kettle over the spinach to wilt the leaves. When cool enough to handle, wrap up and twist the towel to wring out all excess liquid. Finely chop the drained spinach. (If you don’t have a very large colander, you can do this in batches.) Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Then add the butter. When the butter foams, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until the shallots soften. Add the cream and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Melt in the Taleggio. Add the lemon juice and finish with the parmigiano-reggiano.