Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts Recipe
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An addictive mélange of spinach, garlic, raisins, pine nuts, and good olive oil, this is one of the best-known Catalan dishes. Its uses in the Catalan kitchen are many—in croquettes or egg tortillas, as a topping for cocas (flatbreads), as a filling for savory turnovers or cannelloni, or as a base for baked fish. As a side dish, it goes with just about anything, and nothing beats it in the morning on toast, topped with poached eggs. The recipe is also great made with other wilted greens, such as chard or escarole.
- 5 to 6 tablespoons golden or dark raisins
- 2 packages (each 10 ounces) fresh spinach or 2 medium-size bunches fresh spinach, tough stems discarded
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 to 8 whole small peeled garlic cloves, lightly smashed
- 5 tablespoons pine nuts
- Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
- Place the raisins in a small bowl, add very hot water to cover, and soak until plump, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels, then set aside.
- Rinse but do not drain the spinach. Place the spinach in a large saucepan over medium heat and cover the pan. Cook the spinach until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Transfer the spinach to a colander, and squeeze out the excess moisture by pressing on the spinach with the back of a spoon. Chop the spinach coarsely. (The spinach can be prepared a few hours ahead up to this point.)
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over low heat. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and soaked raisins, and cook until the nuts and the garlic are light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the chopped spinach, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.
Beverage pairing: A refreshing glass of cava, a sparkling wine from the Catalonia region of Spain, will provide the perfect balance to this sweet, nutty, and savory dish. Because of the slight bitterness of the spinach, you will want to avoid wines with high alcohol levels or too much oak. The NV Sumarroca Cava is a sure bet.
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Yum! I simply crushed and peeled the garlic cloves, and then pulled them out before adding the spinach. Served with lamb, would be great next to a white bean puree.
I'm planning a turkey breast for dinner. Will make this side, combining a bag of spinach and a bunch of fresh red chard. Wish me luck!!
Just had this at a Tapas restaurant yesterday. The only change was that they chopped the garlic into smaller pieces and fried them until they were crispy--yum!
I think this is a definite YES!
Really good.
OMG! I made it for my family who say they don't like raisins, nuts or even spinach (why did I make it, you may ask???? That's another story....I did prove my point however) but they were clammering for more (2 packages of fresh spinach was apparently not enough for a family of 5).
I thought it might be good with cranberries. Next time maybe,
I made it twice this week, once with spinach and once with swiss chard and it was absolutely incredible. Both times.
Oh, thank you! This is one of my longtime faves at Jaleo in DC, and I've futzed around in the kitchen, and gotten close, but not quite.
Absolutely wonderful. Have made it about 3 times so far. Used fresh and frozen spinach with wonderful results.
Made this as a trial for a Thanksgiving side dish. Had most of it for dinner and the rest for breakfast. Delicious. Will double the recipe for thanksgiving. Yum.
I've been making a similar dish from Gourmet (I think) that uses raw red swiss chard instead of precooked spinach, with golden raisins and no garlic. If the chard is really fresh it barely needs any salt to be absolutely delicious! It's become my boyfriend's favorite vegetable dish ever, so I have to make it pretty frequently.
I've been looking for a recipe for this for YEARS! <a href="http://www.chowhound.com/search/std?q...> in SF which used to live in the space the Michelin-starred Range now presides had a great version of this dish. Can't wait to try it.