Catalan Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A ten-minute Spanish tapas classic: golden raisins plumped in sherry, pine nuts toasted to hazelnut brown, and a mountain of spinach wilted in garlicky olive oil. The trick is draining the spinach hard so every bite tastes concentrated and sweet-savoury instead of watery.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb mature flat-leaf spinach, stemmed (or 20 oz baby spinach)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the blanching water

• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (fino or amontillado) or hot water
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar or lemon juice

Instructions

1. Put the raisins in a small bowl with the sherry (or hot water) and let them plump for at least 10 minutes while you prep everything else. They should go from wrinkled to glossy and soft.
2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, for 3 to 4 minutes until they are speckled golden brown and smell nutty. Tip them onto a plate immediately — they burn in seconds.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt, and blanch the spinach in two batches for 45 to 60 seconds per batch, just until fully collapsed. Scoop into a colander. (For baby spinach you can skip the blanch and wilt it straight in the pan in step 5, working in batches.)
4. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, grab it in handfuls and squeeze hard over the sink until no more water runs out — you want it almost dry. Pile it on a board and roughly chop. You should have about 2 cups of tightly packed spinach.
5. Wipe the skillet dry and set it over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and the pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is just pale gold at the edges. Do not let it brown deeply or it will turn bitter.
6. Drain the raisins, reserving the soaking liquid, and add the raisins to the pan. Cook 30 seconds, then add the chopped spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Toss with tongs for 2 to 3 minutes so the spinach separates and absorbs the garlicky oil.
7. Splash in 2 tablespoons of the reserved raisin liquid and let it cook off, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir in the sherry vinegar, most of the pine nuts, and the last tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and adjust salt.
8. Pile onto a warm platter, scatter the remaining pine nuts over the top, and serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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