millertime

I'm a "foodie"....there, I said it. I don't blog about it, but I like to visit food blogs, and gladly try cool new recipies. Well now it's my turn to post one. I subscribe to "Cooks Country" magazine ... http://www.cookscountry.com/ and so far, no bad dish has ever come out of it. (Highly subjective and only my opinion, of course.) Anyhow, last night I was trying to be a good girl and eat my vegetables, so I tried this Italian Spinach...holy crap yum!!! It was my first attempt at wilting spinach too, and all went well. I substituted baby spinach for regular, but otherwise followed as written. So if you want to try for yourself:

Italian Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Be sure to press the spinach well in step 2. One small red onion can be substituted for the shallots. Using a Dutch oven (rather than a skillet) makes it easier and faster to wilt the spinach.Serves 4

1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 (10-ounce) bags curly-leaf spinach , stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
3 shallots , sliced thin
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
Salt

1. Plump raisins in bowl of hot water, about 5 minutes. Toast nuts in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add spinach in handfuls, stirring to allow each batch to wilt slightly before adding next. Continue to cook until spinach is uniformly wilted and glossy, about 1 minute. Transfer spinach to colander set over bowl and press with wooden spoon to release extra liquid.3. Wipe out Dutch oven, add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and set over medium heat until shimmering. Cook shallots until softened, about 3 minutes. Drain raisins and add to shallots. Stir in vinegar and sugar and cook until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and toss to coat. Season with salt and sprinkle with nuts. Serve.

The magazine is really cool, too....they test all kinds of stuff and give you "real" result. For instance-if the $5.00 paring knife works better than the $25.00 one, they tell you! Plus they give recipe "trial and error" details, find "lost" recipies that people write in and describe, etc.. So check them out...sure glad I did!