Spinach, garlic & lemon (Vegan)

We have fond memories of this dish, it reminds us of our nonno and how he would make this for our lunch and having it with big chunks of bread which we would dip into the spinach, garlic and oily liquid to soak up all the good bits.

For grandad, he used to love this way of cooking and eating as it kept all the nutrients at their best, it also was a one pot dish so less washing up to do! His favourite thing at the end of eating all the spinach was to add one final tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into the juices leftover and drink it directly from the bowl. Grandad lived a healthy, happy life and had great skin too, we think it was because of all the olive oil he had!

Method

Prepare the spinach by cutting off any hard stalks and wash well.

Tip* We would always use grandad’s big spinach leaves from his allotment in the garden, so we really had to wash it well and trim down the stalks. If it is easier and more convenient for you, it’s also good to use baby spinach or spinach which has been pre-prepared.

Take a large saucepan and add 2 tbsp of your favourite cooking oil and add into the cold oil the garlic cloves.

Tip* To prepare the garlic, simply crush with the back of a knife and remove the skin and the “germ” which is the green part of the garlic found in the centre as this can be very bitter.

Turn on the heat and gently fry the garlic until lightly golden, at this stage if you like a bit of spice add in ½ tsp of dried crushed chilli flakes.

Once the garlic is ready add in the spinach leaves and a generous pinch of sea salt. Place the lid on the saucepan and cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted down and is tender. Once cooked, squeeze over the fresh lemon juice.

To serve, plate up the spinach and drizzle over a tbsp per person of our Sicilian lemon infused (or chilli infused) extra virgin olive oil and eat with crusty bread to soak up all the juices and good bits!

Also great to serve as a contorni (side dish) to your secondi piatti (main course) or as we do as a main itself served with crusty bread.

Buon appetito!

Why not try another one of our delicious healthy recipes such as our Capuliatu con i Broccoli (Vegan)

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