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.
• 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
Have you tried the Jay and Joy range of vegan cheeses we sell yet? They are absolute game changers. There’s no doubt that there are some dodgy tasting plant based cheeses out there, but these are the real deal. We love that they use recognisable, all organic ingredients. We love that they are made using ancestral French cheese-making techniques. But most of all we love the flavour. Here are some serving suggestions to inspire you to make the most out of these delectable little boxes of cheese. Let us know your favourite way of eating them in the comments or over on our facebook group. We are always looking for new ways to enjoy our carefully curated organic products.
Liz x
*as always, words in bold are clickable links to our shop so you can easily add the ingredients to your usual order
Simple as that! The sweet tang of the oranges contrasts the olive oil, salty cheese and olives perfectly. Every mouthful a delight.
Celeriac Steaks, Kale, Blue Cheese, Pear, Walnut
Method (serves 2)
Slice 4 steaks out of the middle of a celeriac – about 1cm thickness each. Then trim off the skin and knobbly roots of each slice. (Reserve the leftover ends of the celeriac for soups/stews/risottos…)
Melt a tbsp of plant based butter with a tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat.
Then add the celeriac steaks and season them with a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper. Fry on both sides until golden brown and tender – this takes about 10-15 minutes.
Keep the steaks warm, propped up in one side of the pan then add lots of rinsed and chopped kale to the pan. Stir fry to wilt for 3 minutes or so then taste and season if necessary (there may be enough seasoning already in the pan from the celeriac steaks and butter/oil).
Divide the cooked kale onto two warm plates, top with the celeriac steaks and then quickly toast two generous handfuls of walnuts in the now empty frying pan.
Add a sliced pear to each plate, the toasted walnuts and finish with little slices of Jay and Joy Blue Cheese.
The balance of sweet pear, buttery celeriac, crunchy nuts and salty blue cheese is absolutely gorgeous. I hope you really enjoy it!
Baked Brie, Caramelised Red Onion & Thyme Toast
Method (serves 2)
Melt a generous tbsp of plant based butter and a tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan.
Add one peeled and sliced red onion and a pinch of salt and fry on medium for about 10 minutes or until it starts to collapse and caramelise.
Add four peeled and chopped cloves of garlic and fry for another 5 minutes or so.
Then to help the caramelisation, add a tsp of brown sugar and season with some black pepper and a tsp of fresh thyme leaves. Fry for another minute or so to bring the flavours together.
Meanwhile cut and toast two slices of sourdough bread.
Put the toast in a baking dish, divide the caramelised onion between the two slices and top with slices of Jay and Joy Brie.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and put the baking dish in a hot oven or under the grill for a few minutes. This vegan brie does not melt like regular brie, but warming it up really brings the dish together.
Scatter with a few more fresh thyme leaves and enjoy! Crunchy toast, sweet caramelised onion, creamy cheese and fragrant thyme…so good!
