Spinach

Spiced Spinach (or Mixed Greens) with Almonds

Posted by Carole Koch

This dish can also be made with kale, chard, turnip greens or radish greens.* Combine what you have in this week’s harvest to equal 2 pounds. This dish is good over pasta or as a stuffing for poultry, but it is also an excellent side dish with fish or chicken. The cheeses or nuts can be omitted, if desired.

2 pounds fresh spinach, stems trimmed to base of leaves, or other greens
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
5 tablespoons blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons currants
1/2 cup ricotta
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Wash the spinach but do not dry it. Set the spinach in a pot with the water that clings to its leaves and cook, covered, over medium heat until the leaves are wilted but still a bright green. Drain the spinach and shock it in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again. Squeeze out the excess moisture and coarsely chop. Sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the spinach, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds, and currants. Sauté another two minutes, or until heated through. Stir in the ricotta and warm it through. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

*If using greens with thick stems, remove the stems. The stems of chard can be cut into squares and cooked with the leaves.

From “The Splended Table,” Lynne Rossetto Kasper, www.culinate.com.

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