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| Garlicky spinach is dressed up with crispy croutons and quartered egg. |
Certain, steamed spinach is nice, tossed with a little bit butter or olive oil, perhaps a couple of drops of vinegar. However, it’s even higher dressed up with sauce or additional flavorings. Right here’s a model of “creamed” spinach that’s particularly good.
On this recipe for spinach, typical of Jaén (inside Andalusia) and La Mancha, the “cream” sauce isn’t a bechamel, however is made with bread and garlic. Caraway seeds are typical and are unusually good with spinach. Croutons of fried bread add texture.
If served as a facet dish, quartered, hard-boiled eggs make a great garnish for the spinach. Or serve a good-sized portion topped with a fried egg for a terrific (vegetarian) lunch or supper dish. Alternatively, stir one or two overwhelmed eggs into the spinach instantly earlier than eradicating from the warmth.
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| Serve this spinach dish as a facet or add eggs and serve it as the principle dish for lunch or supper. |
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| Add a fried or poached egg per individual to the spinach. |
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| Spinach is creamy from mashed up bread. |
Spinach with Crispy Croutons
Espinacas con Picatostes
Serves 6 as a facet or 4 as a light-weight predominant dish.
3 slices bread, crusts eliminated (about 5 ounces)
3 cloves garlic
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Pinch of floor cloves
½ teaspoon pimentón (paprika)
Water
1 ½ kilos recent spinach, washed and trimmed, or 1 (14-ounce) package deal frozen spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped onions
Salt
Freshly floor black pepper
1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds
Eggs
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| Fry croutons, garlic. |
Minimize 2 slices of the bread into ¾-inch croutons. Flippantly crush 2 cloves of the garlic. Warmth the oil in a small skillet with the two cloves of garlic. When garlic begins to sizzle, add the diced bread in a single layer. Fry till bread is browned on one facet. Flip the croutons in order that they brown on all sides. Skim croutons and garlic out of the oil and reserve them.
Add the remaining slice of bread to the skillet and brown it on each side. Take away the bread. Take away the skillet from the warmth and reserve the oil.
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| Scissors to chop up spinach. |
If utilizing recent spinach, place it in a pan massive sufficient to carry it. Prepare dinner over medium warmth till the spinach is wilted. Add water if obligatory. Drain the spinach. Use scissors to chop the spinach up. (If utilizing thawed frozen spinach, chop it if obligatory.)
Take away skins from the two cloves of fried garlic and one raw garlic. Place them in a mortar or blender with the slice of fried bread, damaged into items. Add the vinegar, cloves, pimentón and a couple of tablespoons of water. Permit a couple of minutes for the fried bread to melt, then crush or mix to make a clean paste.
Warmth 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil within the massive pan. (Remaining oil might be strained and used for one more function.) Sauté the onions till they’re softened, 3 minutes.
Add the spinach to the pan and stir it within the oil for 1 minute. Add the bread-garlic paste, ½ teaspoon salt (or, to style), pepper and ½ cup of water. Prepare dinner 10 minutes. Stir within the caraway seeds and cook dinner 1 minute. (If utilizing overwhelmed eggs, stir them in at this level.)
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| Fry one egg per individual. |
Place the spinach in a bowl or platter and scatter the fried croutons on high. Serve garnished with quartered hard-boiled eggs or 1 fried egg per individual.
