Wow... Thanksgiving is around the corner... And this particular dish is my mama's specialty come any holiday that calls for food. I warn: THIS is not for the health conscience. If you plan to eat this, you will have to throw all thoughts of healthy eating into the wind. Haha.
Anyways, My mama made this for as long as I can remember, and I was always her sou chef. She told me she learned it from a former co-worker from back in the days during a Christmas office party, and then she also found out that the co-worker got the recipe from the back of a soup mix package. But my mom made it her's by altering the recipe little by little over time. For instance, my family prefer a little more mayonnaise because of the bit of tanginess that it has over sour cream. When I make this dish (my mama "retired" from making it), I have to make it in a HUGE batch: one HUGE tub for my cousin, one small tub for the family, and one regular tub for whoever is having a potluck party.
I'm going to post here the a more... reasonable and SANE... measurement... I hope, it works. I'm so use to of making large batches, so please forgive me if it doesn't quite work. But the best part about cooking is that you can adjust/eyeball recipes to your own taste.
Also! I HIGHLY recommend for you to use Best Foods Mayonnaise. Not advertising, but it is tried and true by my family. Best Foods has a more tangy taste to it. It really helps cut the sour/rich taste of the sour cream, and it just rounds out the whole dish. Adjust to your taste of course.
I do warn though... there is going to be A LOT of chopping, and you will probably need arms of steel to do some squeezing. Lol. Its a good workout... at least it is a workout for me when I make it. Lol~
Are you drooling yet?
Ingredients:
1 box frozen chopped spinach
1 small can water chestnut (whole is best, sliced is good too)
2 hard boiled eggs
1 package Korr's Vegetable Soup Mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Best Foods.)
1 sprig green onion, chopped.
Salt, to taste
Cracked Black pepper, to taste (white pepper is just as good)
How-To:
- In a pot filled halfway with water, boil the spinach until it is thawed and the spinach is warmed through. Once thawed and warmed through, drain over a colander and set aside to cool.
- Boil eggs for about 7 minutes for hardboiled eggs. Once cooked, separate egg whites from egg yolks.
- Chop egg whites finely, and put into a big mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, mash egg yolks with a bit of mayonnaise, and mix until smooth (or as smooth as you can get it). Set aside.
- Finely chop green onion, all of the whites and greens.
- Open can of water chestnut, drain well. Chop water chestnut finely. Over a colander in the sink, SQUEEZE a handful of the chopped water chestnuts. It does not have to be completely squeezed dry, but still slightly moist. Toss squeezed water chestnuts into same big mixing bowl with egg whites.
- In same big mixing bowl with squeezed water chestnuts, do the same with the cooled spinach. Squeeze a handful of spinach over a colander, and toss into bowl for mixing.
- In same big mixing bowl, add in soup mix. (Optional, pick out dehydrated pea bits.)
- Add egg yolk + mayo mix, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.
- MIX!!!! Remember to give a little taste test to adjust level of mayo or sour cream.
- After well incorporated, season with black or white pepper to taste, and season with regular table salt to taste. Remember to give it a taste test to adjust level of mayo, sour cream, or salt.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve with slices of soft french bread and/or nice slices of crusty french baguette.
Yes... you should refrigerate overnight so the flavors can marry together. BUT!!!! You can eat this right as soon as you finish making it ('tis what my family does). But I highly recommend to give it a little patience and let it sit overnight. Lots of steps and is time consuming, but it is good. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as my family.
