Hello everyone,
Today we are going to cook sauteed spinach with raisins Italian way, as a beautiful side dish to our outstanding trout in red wine sauce which is the main course in the festive Lenten Thanksgiving compilation series. This recipe is simple, quick and as always elegant.
“During the Great War, large numbers of ordinary people traveled abroad for the first time, eating and drinking French and Italian food along the way. This, plus the determination of governments afterward to emphasize shared values and preserve peace, led to the definite postwar expansion of culinary influences into mainstream British cooking. Books on Italian cookery had been published before, but now books such as The Gentle Art of Cookery, by Hilda Leyel and Olga Hartley, contained lots of recipes for slightly exotic – sounding ways to transform boring British vegetables. British vegetable cookery was centered largely around boiling, mashing, and gratins, with sauces, usually based on butter and cream. Although vegetables served in this way can be sublime, the cooking times given in books suggest they were habitually overcooked. At Downton, many of the upstairs dishes are served with watercress or spinach, which gives the color to the plate, but more importantly, gives the cast something practical to eat in front of the cameras when they are repeating scenes many times over. “
Besides, after reading all the nutritional benefits of sauteed spinach described below it is hard to say no to this superfood vegetable.
Leafy green vegetables, especially spinach, contain more nutrients than virtually any other vegetable. A mere cup of wilted spinach contains only 41 calories and has exceptionally high levels of vitamins K and A. The vegetable also contains high percentages of the daily values of other vitamins and minerals, including Manganese, Folate, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin C.
Inspired by: The Official Downtown Abbey Cookbook by Annie Gray
After eating this incredible meal, you will become a pinch happier, I promise!
Bon Appétit!
Ingredients
- 4 slices white bread as thin as possible
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter or vegetable oil for frying
- 2 lb spinach hefty stems removed
- 2 anchovy fillets in olive oil, minced
- 1/2 cup mixed golden and dark raisins
Instructions
- The ingredients you'll need
- First, make the croutons. Cut the bread slices into neat triangles about 1 inch (2.5 cm) on each side. Melt the 1 tbsp. butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the triangles, turning as needed, until golden brown on both sides. Set aside. (If you prefer not to fry the croutons, shake the bread cutouts with a little oil in a shallow baking pan and bake them in a preheated 400 F (200 C) oven until golden brown, 5-10 min)
- Rinse the spinach well and transfer to a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat in just the rinsing water clinging to the leaves until tender, a few minutes. Drain well and then press the leaves gently between paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to remove most of the moisture. Chop the leaves roughly and return them to the pan.
- Using a fork, mix together the 1/2 teaspoon butter and the anchovies until thoroughly blended. Add the anchovy butter and raisins to the spinach, set the pan over medium heat, and heat, stirring often, until the mixture is piping hot.
- Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the croutons and serve immediately.
Well, it’s just good enough to give it a try for the purpose of trying new things. Anchovies that we use as a base here scent the whole dish in a beautiful way, raisings add some exquisite sweetness and freshly fried croutons raise the good old sauteed spinach to the next level. The restaurant type level.
The fresher the spinach the better, because spinach starts losing its nutritional benefits within a few days after it has been harvested. If you can purchase it at a local farmer’s market then do it. Avoid bagged spinach that with excessive moisture. For loose spinach, choose dark green leaves and keep away from leaves that are brown, yellow, or wilted.
Store the spinach in the refrigerator in its original bag or container and store bunched spinach in a plastic bag. Do not wash the spinach before you store it. Try not to purchase more than you will eat within three to five days. If you wait longer to eat the spinach than that, it may taste bitter and the nutritional value and health benefits can diminish.
While it’s a good idea to rotate your vegetables or consume a variety of kale, bok choy, and romaine lettuce, spinach can be eaten every day to fight against age-related issues. It’s good to aim for at least a cup of fresh spinach or a half a cup of cooked spinach each day for maximum nutritional benefits.
