Italian Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts
ByPublished on November 8, 2011
Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Be sure to press the spinach well in step 2. One small red onion can be substituted for the shallots. Using a Dutch oven (rather than a skillet) makes it easier and faster to wilt the spinach.
Instructions
- Plump raisins in bowl of hot water, about 5 minutes. Toast nuts in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add spinach in handfuls, stirring to allow each batch to wilt slightly before adding next. Continue to cook until spinach is uniformly wilted and glossy, about 1 minute. Transfer spinach to colander set over bowl and press with wooden spoon to release extra liquid.
- Wipe out Dutch oven, add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and set over medium heat until shimmering. Cook shallots until softened, about 3 minutes. Drain raisins and add to shallots. Stir in vinegar and sugar and cook until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and toss to coat. Season with salt and sprinkle with nuts. Serve.
Time
40 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Most of the spinach with raisins and pine nuts recipes we encountered left us with soggy spinach, shriveled raisins, and bland pine nuts. For our recipe, we opted to use curly-leaf spinach, which has a lower water content than other spinach varieties. Sautéing it in small batches until evenly wilted, and then draining it in a colander and pressing it a few times to coax out the moisture ensured the spinach in our recipe was tender, not soggy. Plumping them in a bowl of hot water softened the raisins in our recipe, and gave them just the right texture. Milder shallots won out over the usual garlic component, and the pine nuts in our Italian Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts recipe were at their crunchy best when toasted to golden brown at the outset and then sprinkled over the dish just before serving.
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