Ok, so I’m on a spinach kick.About a month ago, we met my cousin Constance (à la stuffed acorn squash) and her beau in Vegas. Our first night there we ate a rather generic meal at yet another one of those modern tapas restaurants. But to our shock, the best plate that evening was a simple and quiet spinach dish that my clever cousin ordered. This is my attempt to replicate the spot-on flavors of that highly memorable dish. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
Spinach Sauté with Apples, Dried Fruit and Pine Nuts
Serves 3 – 4 as a side dish
16 oz baby spinach
1 shallot, small dice
1 fuji apple, peeled and cored, 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/8 cup dried currants
1/8 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp butter + 1/2 tbsp butter, seperated
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/8 cup chicken or veggie stock
Begin by toasting your pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Go ahead and use your largest skillet for this, to keep the dishes at a minimum. When pine nuts are golden, remove from pan and reserve for later. Wipe out any crumbs and set the pan over medium-high heat.
To the pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Drop in your shallot and apples and saute for 2 minutes, just until they begin to soften. Add in the dried currants and raisins and continue to cook, stirring often, until apples have turned slightly golden at the edges, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. This is the doneness you’re looking for here:
Pour in the sherry vinegar and stock, quickly followed by as much of the spinach as you can fit in the pan. The stock here is added to produce steam, which will allow the spinach to wilt more quickly and evenly. Turn the heat down to medium and drop on the lid, or even a sheet pan, to trap in all that good steam. After 1-2 minutes, give the spinach a stir, adding in any spinach that didn’t make it the first round. Continue to wilt over medium heat for 1 – 2 additional minutes.
Now remove the lid and toss in the pine nuts (we’re adding these at the very end so they retain their texture). Give it a taste and adjust your salt and pepper seasonings. Finally, right before serving, I like to stir in the remaining 1/2 tbsp of butter which helps make everything beautiful and glossy and adds some depth to the light brothy sauce.
Comments