As a kid in gradeschool I remember the lunch program serving this green slime they called spinach. All of us hated it, no one ate it; the lunch monitors wouldn't let us go back for seconds (the ravioli and dinner roles were particularly popular) unless we ate it, so we devised all manner of smuggling and disposal as if we were saddled with a load of contriband and in walked johnny law. I remember one guy putting it in a napkin, putting the napkin in his pocket and tossing in the bathroom when the monitors were paying particularly close attention to the trash bins in the cafeteria; we even attempted to distract the monitors with diversions, conversations about how their day was going, it was hilarious ... Only one kid would eat it, ever ... seriously ... and he would do it just to be gross and create a spectacle.
Anyway, it took a few fine dining experiences in my 20s before I would even touch the stuff, but now I love it as long as you cook it correctly. The only two cooking methods I've found that do it justice are quickly wilting it (rapid submersion in boiling water followed by shocking it in a cold water / ice bath), or gentle sauteing. Of course I've used it in other preparations like ravioli, lasagna, and salads, but if it's acting as part of a filling, I either avoid pre-cooking it and make sure it is dry and the other ingredients are capable of absorbing some of its moisture, or I will quickly saute it and then sqeeeze the life out of it to remove as much moisture as I can ... maybe that's the key to avoiding the slime factor, spinach puts off a ton of water so you have to accommodate this or you end up with goo.
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