Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Espinacas a la Catalana
More greens, please? Recipes don’t get easier than this tasty spinach side dish. Lightly wilted spinach, seasoned with garlic, plump raisins, and pine nuts. An oil-free variation on the classic Catalan dish. Served above with Alboronía.
Prep 30 minutes to roast garlic plus 5 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
1 head garlic, outer skins removed, roasted, peeled, and puréed
⅓ cup raisins, any variety, rehydrated
¼ cup pine nuts, raw or very lightly toasted
2 pounds baby spinach
A few grinds of black pepper
White miso paste, diluted 1:1 in water, to taste
Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel off the loose outer skins on the garlic head, taking care to leave the head intact. Roast without oil for 30 minutes. Place the peeled cloves in a high-speed blender, adding a tablespoon or two of water, and purée until you have a very smooth soft paste.
Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Steep the raisins for about 5 minutes or until they have rehydrated fully and are plump and juicy. Drain.
The pine nuts are delicious raw here, but if you prefer them toasted, place in a small skillet and over medium heat, stirring constantly, very lightly toast them to bring out those flavor notes. Remove immediately from the heat. What you’ll gain in flavor, you’ll lose in antioxidants, however.
Rinse the spinach. If you are using baby spinach, there is no need to chop the leaves or stems. Shake off the water well and place in a deep skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for just a few minutes until the spinach wilts. There should be very little water in the pan. If not, drain most of the liquid from the pan and reserve it for another use.
Add 2 heaping tablespoons of the garlic purée, distributing it well throughout the greens. Stir in the drained raisins and pine nuts. Season with fresh grinds of black pepper and diluted white miso paste, to your tastes.
Serve immediately in warmed bowls.