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1. Wash the fresh spinach thoroughly under cold running water to remove any sand. Drain the spinach by shaking it vigorously by hand or in a lettuce basket, and then chop it coarsely. If frozen spinach is used, thoroughly defrost and drain it.
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2. Bring the 2 quarts of chicken stock to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and add the fresh or frozen chopped spinach. Simmer uncovered about 6 to 8 minutes, then pour the entire contents of the pan into a sieve set over a large bowl.
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3. Press down hard on the spinach with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all of its juices. Set the liquid aside in the bowl and chop the cooked spinach very fine.
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4. Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in the saucepan. When the foam subsides, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour. With a wire whisk, beat the hot stock into this white roux a little at a time.
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5. Return the saucepan to the heat and, stirring it constantly, bring it to a boil. Then add the spinach. Season the soup with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Half cover the pan and simmer the soup over low heat about 5 minutes longer. Stir occasionally.
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6. Garnish each serving of soup with a few slices of hard-cooked egg. On festive occasions, such as Easter, "Spinatsuppe" is often served with a stuffed egg half floating in each soup bowl.
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7. To make these, remove the yolks from 2 or 3 hard-cooked eggs (depending on how many people you plan to serve) and mash them to a paste with about 1 to 2 teaspoons of softened butter.
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8. Roll the mixture into little balls and nestle 2 or 3 into each halved egg white.
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