Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts
You can spin this wonderful side dish in so many ways: add more pine nuts or raisins; use a lot of garlic, adding some at the end, so that it stays strong; add a dried chile or two to the olive oil; finish it with fresh lemon juice; or drizzle it with more olive oil at the end. Or serve it over pasta, thinned with some of the pasta-cooking liquid. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: Chard is great; collards, kale, and dandelions are also good. Just make sure the initial simmering time is long enough to make the green (and its stems) fully tender; nothing is as fast as spinach.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the raisins or currants in warm water for 10 minutes while you prepare the spinach. Steam or parboil the spinach until tender, less than 5 minutes.
Step 2
When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze all the excess moisture from it; chop it roughly. Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Drain the raisins and add them, along with the pine nuts, to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium.
Step 3
Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 or 4 minutes, until everything glistens. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot or at room temperature.
