Middle Eastern Spinach With Spices And Yogurt Recipes

MIDDLE EASTERN SPINACH WITH SPICES AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat, and add the clove, allspice berries, and coriander seeds or cumin seeds. Heat, shaking the pan, until the spices begin to smell toasty, about three minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes, then grind in a spice mill. Add the cinnamon, and set aside.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt to a paste, and stir into the yogurt. Set aside.
• Place the baby spinach in a bowl, and add just enough boiling water to cover. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess water, and chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet, and add the pine nuts. Stir until they begin color (two to three minutes), then remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the spices to the oil. When they begin to sizzle, cook for about 30 seconds and add the spinach, toasted pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and coated with the oil and spices, two to three minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, and spoon the yogurt over the top.

SPINACH WITH GARLIC YOGURT AND WALNUT DUKKAH

Steps:

• Make the dukkah. Chop the walnuts very fine. Mix with the toasted sesame seeds in a bowl. In a dry skillet lightly toast the coriander seeds just until fragrant and immediately transfer to a spice mill. Allow to cool. In the same skillet toast the cumin seeds just until fragrant and transfer to the spice mill. Allow to cool. When the spices have cooled, grind and add to the nuts and sesame seeds. Add the nigella seeds, sumac, chili powder and salt and mix together. Measure out 2 tablespoons and store the remainder of the dukkah in a jar in the refrigerator or the freezer.
• Steam the spinach over 1 inch of boiling water until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes (or a little longer, depending on how much spinach you have in your steaming basket; you may have to do this in batches). Turn the leaves with tongs about halfway through the steaming. My pot of choice for this is a pasta pot with an insert. Remove from the heat, rinse briefly with cold water and squeeze out excess water. If desired, chop coarsely.
• Combine the ground clove, allspice, cumin and cinnamon for the spinach, and set aside.
• In a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic and a generous pinch of salt and mash to a paste. Stir into the yogurt. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the ground clove, allspice, cumin and cinnamon mix. Cook until the mixture begins to sizzle, add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and coated with the oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon the yogurt over the top. Sprinkle the dukkah over the yogurt, garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired, and serve.

SPINACH SOUP WITH CORIANDER, CINNAMON AND ALLSPICE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add the stock, rice, bouquet garni, and salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the spinach and spices, cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. The spinach should wilt but should maintain its bright color.
• Using a hand blender that has a powerful motor, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular blender, fill only halfway and cover the top with a towel pulled down tight, rather than the lid, because hot soup will push the top off if the blender is closed airtight. Return to the pot and heat through, stirring. Whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch into 1 cup of the yogurt, and whisk into the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• If you want a pungent, garlicky yogurt garnish, mash the remaining garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Stir into the remaining yogurt. Serve the soup, garnishing each bowl with a swirl of the yogurt and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts.