Spinach with Raisins [vegetarian]

Unlike many people, I really don’t have any bad “spinach memories” from my childhood. And it is not because I liked it, it is because I didn’t have it at all for the first several years of my life. When I finally tried it, I wasn’t impressed as it looked and – probably - tasted like boiled grass. Luckily I was wise enough to give it a second chance so when I tried pancakes with well-seasoned, slightly garlicky spinach filling, I felt it was the beginning of a long-term relationship.

This relationship evolved slowly because at first I would just have a variation of the pureed spinach with béchamel sauce and garlic served either with pancakes or even - simply but so yummy – with mashed potatoes and a fried egg. After a while, to my tiny repertoire of spinach recipes I added a spinach soup. And that was it for quite some time. That was it until I spent more time researching spinach attributes.

Probably we all have heard that spinach is a very healthy food but what does it really mean? Due to a wide variety of phytonutrients, spinach provides excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits, especially in case of stomach, skin, breast and prostate cancer. It also has anti-oxidant properties that prevent (or at least lower the risk) of blood-vessel related problems like atherosclerosis and high blood pressure. Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K, Calcium and Magnesium that are key for maintaining healthy and strong bones. And no wonder that this green leafy vegetable is on top of the list of nutrient dense food as apart from the 3 listed earlier, it is also a very good source of 16 other nutrients: Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C and E, Manganese, Folate, Iron, Copper, Potassium, Fibre, Phosphorus, Zinc, Protein and Choline.

Realizing how healthy spinach really was, I decided to use it much more often. These days I include it in soups, dhals, pastas or salads. I know that addition of a few handfuls of spinach to a dish is so easy and will make it healthier and prettier. But I also know that spinach deserves to be a main ingredient like in the recipe below in which I re-created a wonderful meal I had a few years ago in a restaurant. It can be served either as a warm starter or a side dish perfect with baked/roasted fish.

My spinach story is clearly a love story. If you haven’t started yours yet, please give spinach a chance with the below recipe. It is highly likely you will fall for it just the way I did.

INGREDIENTS (2 portions):

75g raisins,

1 tbsp butter,

1 small onion, finely chopped,

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced,

250g spinach,

100 ml double cream,

1-1.5 tbsp honey,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Soak the raisins in hot water.
2. On a medium heat melt the butter in a big pot, add the onion and garlic and fry stirring for 2-3 minutes, till translucent but not burnt.
3. Add the spinach and fry it stirring constantly until almost wilted; add the cream, honey, raisins and the seasoning.