Spinach Roman Style
"This dish is all technique. The garlic cloves are browned, the pine nuts toasted and the raisins are plumped in water and heated, each flavor enhancing the spinach. I cut this recipe out of a June 2007 New York Times magazine. The original recipe was published in 1989 and came from "The Food of Southern Italy" by Carlo Middione. Put here for safekeeping, and will try this soon. I will definitely lower the amount of oil way below 1/3 cup, which is what the published recipe stated. If you are not concerned about your waistline, go ahead and use that much. I think this is a very sophisticated recipe, appropriate for a dinner party."
photo by French Tart
- Ready In:
- 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons raisins (black or golden, smallest available)
- 4 bunches spinach, bunches washed at least twice but not dried, trimmed of stems (2 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
- 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
- 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and well crushed
- 4 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 pinch salt (big pinch)
- fresh black pepper (6-7 grindings)
directions
- Put the raisins in a small bowl with enough warm water to cover. Soak for about 15 minutes and set aside.
- Put the wet spinach in a frying pan large enough to hold it all and cook over a high flame until it collapses and turns dark green, stirring constantly. Transfer the spinach to a colander and set aside. If the frying pan is wet, dry it with a paper towel.
- Pour olive oil into the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and brown it, being careful it doesn't burn. Remove and discard. Take the raisins from the water, squeeze as dry as possible and add them to the oil with the pine nuts. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the nuts turn a golden color. Be careful because the nuts can burn easily.
- Return spinach to the pan, stir with a fork and add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix all ingredients and continue cooking for about a minute. You may add additional olive oil if desired.
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Reviews
-
I made this and burned ALL the raisins. Just as I was about to throw them all away, I decided I was too hungry to make another batch, and ate them like that. Absolutely delicious! If a recipe can still work even after you burned one of the main ingredients, I think it's a fabulous recipe! Great find, one of those rare vegan gems. Thank you for posting! -
I had loved and lost this recipe --found it again in the Times and misplaced it. SO happy to have it here. Quite simple and quite perfect--one of those glorious recipes which makes the most of the main ingredients with the least fanfare. Thanks, Cat Friend! -
A full house for you Kumquat - or I picked your recipes wisely!! Because this was wonderful - just the kind of flavours that we both love so much! And yes, it is all about technique in this recipe - the plump raisins and the toasted pine nuts......and a whiff of garlic, sublime! Made for PAC Autumn 2007 and totally delicious! Merci encore, FT:-)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Kumquat the Cats fr
New York City, 72
<p>Clockwise from upper left, my dear friends Cranberry, Quincy, Kumquat and Kiwi. All of our cats were born in the wild and adopted by us. Zaar Chefs I have met so far: Elmotoo, justcallmeToni, ~Rita~, Midwest Maven, Bird&Buddha (both of them) and most recently, Ms*Bindy from upstate New York:) Wonderful, sweet, friendly people and great chefs! Most relevant thing to mention here is that I am a vegetarian, and recently became a vegan (almost 100%). To put vegetables and other things not meat or fish on the table I work as an actuary (in my case anyway, a combination of statistician, number-cruncher and/or programmer). For fun I like to travel. Just came back from Namibia, a peaceful democracy in Africa with lots of animals! Got some terrific pictures of lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinocerous, hyenas, all kinds of antelopes, giraffes and zebras. Namibia is the second most sparsely populated country per square mile, just behind Mongolia. Update: We went to Italy this Spring. We had lots of pizza and pasta. The pizza is so much better in Italy, particularly the crust. The Amalfi coast was absolutely beautiful. Spectacular natural scenery (Canada and Alaska are really beautiful, Patagonia in Chile is sublime, Iceland is unique) has been my latest passion as far as travel destinations but I have seen quite a few big cities too (Paris, Berlin, London and Madrid to name a few). On my bulletin board at work I keep a list of every country I've visited (other than the U.S. of course). So far I've made it to five continents: Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and North America of course. I've got only two other continents to conquer:) I don't usually have difficulty finding vegetarian dishes here in the U.S. or overseas, but finding vegan dishes is much harder. I have no kids, just cats, Kumquat, Cranberry, and more recently Quincy and Kiwi. They are purebreds, of the breed alley caticus (okay, American shorthair I guess). Our cats are not vegetarians, though my boyfriend (significant other, long-term partner, whatever) is. I am a friend of all animals both tamed and wild. In addition I am a freethinker and my boyfriend studies philosophy. Either way, we get along pretty well. Also, please allow me to say that my BF and I recently bought a condominium in NYC.:) Pet peeve? Okay, I don't like public scenes, especially parents yelling at their children, lovers' spats, etc. If it must be done please do it in private:D Participation & Awards:</p>
