Spinach With Garlic Yogurt And Walnut Dukkah Recipes

FRESH SPINACH WITH GARLIC-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add chiles and 1/3 of spinach. Cook until spinach wilts, adding remaining spinach in 2 additions and tossing often, about 4 minutes. Mix in rice. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and moisture from spinach is absorbed, adding water by tablespoonfuls if needed for rice, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until mixture is dry, about 2 minutes; discard chiles.
• Meanwhile, press garlic cloves into small bowl, stir in yogurt, and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter with 1 tablespoon oil in small skillet. Mix in cayenne and remove from heat.
• Spread spinach mixture on platter; make indentations with back of spoon. Spoon yogurt into indentations and drizzle with cayenne butter.

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.

SPINACH AND YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• Blanch the spinach for 20 to 30 seconds or steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse and squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely.
• Pound the garlic to a paste with salt in a mortar and pestle. Stir into the yogurt and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the spices. Cook, stirring, until they begin to sizzle, and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, until heated through and coated with the oil and spices, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to a puree. Add the yogurt and blend together. Transfer to a bowl or platter. Serve on croutons or with crudités such as red pepper squares, or with pita triangles. Garnish with chopped walnuts if desired. Serve with pita bread.

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.