Spinach With Garlic Yogurt And Walnut Dukkah Recipes

GARLIC SAUTEED SPINACH

Steps:

• Rinse the spinach well in cold water to make sure it's very clean. Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.
• In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it's browned. Add all the spinach, the salt, and pepper to the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook it for 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of sea or kosher salt. Serve hot.

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.

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 3 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 pour on 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. Cook, stirring, until they begin color (2 to 3 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, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon the yogurt over the top. This is very nice served with Arabic bread.

RUSTIC BEANS & SPINACH WITH GARLIC YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion, carrots and sliced garlic, stirring frequently for 10 mins until the veg starts to caramelise. Pour in the sherry vinegar, allowing it to sizzle in the heat, then add the pepper, bouillon, rosemary, paprika, cherry tomatoes, tomato purée and beans, and cook for 15 mins. Meanwhile, stir the yogurt and crushed garlic together.
• Stir the spinach into the pan and cook until wilted, adding a splash of water if you need to. Add some lemon juice to taste if you like, then serve in bowls topped with a dollop of the yogurt, a pinch of paprika and a good grinding of black pepper.

SPINACH DIP WITH GARLIC, YOGURT AND DILL

Steps:

• If using fresh spinach, put it in a colander in the sink. Bring a kettle of water to a boil and pour it over the spinach to wilt it. Let the spinach cool completely, then use your hands to squeeze it very dry. Coarsely chop spinach and set it aside. If using frozen chopped spinach, just squeeze it out until it's very dry, then set aside.
• In a blender or food processor, combine scallions, yogurt, cream cheese, dill, parsley, garlic, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, zest, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. With the motor running, drizzle in olive oil and blend, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl and fold in the chopped spinach until evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Dip will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Just before serving, taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice, if you like. To serve, scrape dip into a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with Urfa or Aleppo pepper flakes, if desired.