This delicious recipe, a favorite of customers at Jose Pizarro's Brindisa restaurants, couldn't be easier. “In Catalonia they like to cook the spinach so that it's completely collapsed and wilted,” he writes, “whereas I prefer it fresh and tossed only briefly in the hot oil. As there is quite a lot of spinach, you can cook it in 2 batches.”
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup golden raisins
12 ounces baby spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large wok. Add the shallot, pine nuts, and raisins and cook until golden.
Add the spinach and toss the leaves with the other ingredients (as you would a salad). The idea is to warm the spinach through — be careful not to overcook it.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings
Source: Seasonal Spanish Food by Jose Pizarro (Kyle, $32.95)