Joyce Goldstein

Persian-Style Spinach with Mint and Walnuts

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Serves

    6

Appears in

top 1000Back to Square One: Old-World Food in a New-World Kitchen

Back to Square One

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 1992

Traditionally, this cooked spinach is served as a salad at room temperature, but there’s no reason you can’t serve it hot as a vegetable.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh spinach
  • 3 tablespoons mild olive oil or unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 6 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

Method

Procedure

Trim the tough stems from the spinach. Coarsely chop the leaves and wash carefully in 2 or 3 changes of water to remove all sand. Drain.

Heat the oil or butter in a very large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the spinach leaves and cook in their own moisture, stirring often, until the spinach wilts, about 4 minutes. Add the mint and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the chopped walnuts.

Variation

To serve as a salad, cook the onions and spinach in olive oil, chill the cooked spinach mixture completely, chop well, and then fold in 2 cups plain yogurt. Top with the chopped walnuts and mint.

© 1992 Joyce Goldstein. All rights reserved.