This is a variation on my old, German family recipe of wilted lettuce. The original uses iceberg lettuce, probably the least food-like real food there is. Instead, I use fresh, baby spinach. It's wonderful.

Large bag (approx 5 oz) of washed, raw, baby spinach leaves.
1/3 cup rendered bacon fat or lard (bacon fat has more flavor but either works)
3 tablespoons splenda (more or less to taste)
1/3 cup vinegar, cider vinegar works best, but any will do.

- Wash, drain spinach and place in large bowl.
- Heat bacon fat or lard in a small skillet or pot over medium heat until melted and warm.
- Stir spelnda into vinegar.
- Add vinegar to hot fat and stir in until completely mixed.
- Once it starts to sizzle and pop, take off heat and pour over spinach.
- Thoroughly toss spinach making sure you get the leaves off of the bottom where the dressing sits.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Sweet, sour, tasty! A really great way to eat your spinach. The leaves will wilt more the more you toss them. This goes great with pork chops, pork roast, steak or lamb chops. It can also accompany a firm, strong fish like salmon. You can also use butter lettuce, Boston lettuce or other more tasty lettuces than iceberg. I've even heard of arugala or frise (sp?), the spiky bitter stuff. To each their own.

This can also yield itself to all kinds of variations. Use different vinegars, like Tarragon or Malt to create different tastes. You could also add crumbled, dried Thai chili peppers to the fat while it heats.

The proportions above make a more sour version than the original which calls for equal parts fat, vinegar and sugar, but I find that with this way of eating, the full proportions are just way too sweet, especially with spinach.

Enjoy!!

Plane Crazy

I love this recipe - my mom used to make it when I was younger, only she used real sugar. The combination of sweet and sour is heavenly. Thank you for posting it.

this sounds really good to make . i will have to try this next week. sue

My mom makes that, but she doesn't use any sweetner at all. I really like the tangy vinegar taste. Who knew it came from a German recipe? I thought it was a southern thing, like fried green tomatoes.

This is what I needed to motivate me to go out and pick my beautiful spinach in the garden before it gets too big and eaten up by bugs. I am making it tonight!! Thanks

i still have not tried this but i am wanting to so bad. i am on vacation over this coming weekend and maybe i swill get to try it. sue