Serves 4 as a side
Sautéed spinach with raisins and pine nuts is a classic Catalan recipe. It’s wonderful, so sweet, nutty and nutritious. We’ve given ours an Irish twist with caramelised Irish apples and an optional gooey topping of our creamy goats cheese.
Tom Hunt is an award-winning chef, food educator, writer, climate change activist and author of Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. https://www.tomsfeast.com
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or warm water, for soaking the raisins
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small firm apple, peeled, cored, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pound baby spinach, washed
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
• Honey, for drizzling
Method
1. Soak the raisins in the warm sherry or water for about 15 minutes, until plump, then drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts and apple cubes together, sprinkle with the sugar, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, tossing often, until the pine nuts are golden and the apple is lightly caramelized at the edges. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the spinach in batches, tossing as it wilts down, about 2 to 3 minutes total.
4. Stir in the drained raisins, season with salt and pepper, and finish with the sherry vinegar.
5. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the goat cheese over the top, and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from José Andrés’s Spinach with Raisins, Pine Nuts and Apples (Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America). The apples are seared separately with a little sugar so they caramelise properly
