Creamed Spinach With Nutmeg And Parmesan Crust - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs spinach
1 2/3 cups milk
5 ounces butter
5 ounces flour
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 pinch salt & freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces ciabatta, made into bread crumbs
7 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 lemon, zest of

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 1-2 minutes, drain, plunge into cold water and squeeze dry.
Heat the milk in a saucepan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Mix in the flour and gradually stir in the hot milk, stirring until the mixture thickens into a white sauce.
Stir in the spinach and season with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and freshly ground pepper, mixing well.
Place the spinach mixture into a rounded ovenproof dish and top with a layer of stale ciabatta breadcrumbs and then a layer of Parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle over the lemon zest, then top with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes and serve warm from the oven.