When I was growing up, I was probably the only kid in town who actually asked if I could just finish my spinach instead of eating a slice of cake for dessert. So I was always thrilled when the Greek Orthodox Church across the street from my house served spanakopita, a pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese, at its annual food festivals. I knew that one of these festivals had started when I detected the aroma on my way home from school. After stopping at home for some money, I would rush into the church, where about 12 different ladies sold their own homemade spinach and cheese pies. I never wanted to make a bad impression, so I tried to buy a piece from each one during the three days of the festival. This soup is a tribute to the women who introduced me to the simple joy of combining spinach with feta cheese.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 pounds fresh spinach leaves
2 cups light cream
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (reserve about 1/4 cup, for garnish)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (reserve a few, for garnish)
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a stockpot melt the butter over mediumhigh heat. Add the garlic, onion, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add the stock and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are soft and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Add the nutmeg and spinach. Stir until the spinach wilts into the soup. Remove from the heat. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Stir in the cream, cheese, pine nuts, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Return the pot to the stove and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with crumbled feta cheese and a few toasted pine nuts.

Makes 10 servings. Pine nuts, called pignoli in Italy, are harvested from the cones of certain varieties of pine trees. Toasting greatly enhances their flavor. The best method for doing this is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Spread the nuts in a single layer and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once so they toast evenly.Watch carefully because they burn easily.