I would make this again

I have always been a big fan of spinach dip - you know, the kind that is often served in a rye bread bowl?

Last night, I made a different take on spinach dip, and it was tasty. I'm calling it

New Spinach Dip

1/2 bunch spinach, chopped in ribbons
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 T olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1T or so of lemon juice
4 ounces or so of goat cheese
black pepper

Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and red pepper (leave this out if you don't like spice, but it isn't very spicy). Cook until garlic is translucent, being careful to keep the heat low enough that it doesn't get crispy (unless that is how you like it, because that would be a nice variation). Add the spinach to the hot pan and wilt. This is one of those amazing disappearing tricks when what looks like a lot of greens cooks down to not much at all. When the spinach is wilted, add the lemon juice to the hot pan and stir. Remove from heat. Stir in the goat cheese and mix well. Crack some black pepper into the mixture and serve warm on bread or crackers.

The lemon juice gives just a hint of brightness and balances potential bitterness in the spinach. If your spinach is particularly old or bitter, you probably want to add some salt also.

The longest time was spent prepping the spinach. Honestly, I think that it is faster to start with fresh spinach than frozen.

If you used frozen, be sure to squeeze the water out really well and make sure it is chopped in small enough pieces. Skip the wilting step, such that you add the lemon juice to the hot pan first and then lower the heat. Add the defrosted spinach and goat cheese and mix. It might actually be easier to do the heating through step in the microwave, but then it is one more pan to wash.