Watching Popeye wolf down can after can of spinach wasn’t enough to tickle my taste buds for it. Picky eater that I was when I first tried it, only in my early twenties, it required a few encounters to appreciate it. I suppose that one might say that spinach is an acquired taste: we now consume a couple of bags of baby spinach per week, and maybe more. In this salad it’s the leading man, with just two supporting actors: slivered almonds and shaved parmiggiano cheese. I adapted the recipe from one I found in Everyday Food, that lovely Martha Stewart publication that’s always peeking at me in grocery stores, next to the cashier. 😉
SPINACH SALAD WITH ALMONDS AND PARMIGGIANO
(adapted from Everyday Food, June 2010)
receita em portugues na pagina seguinte
1/3 cup slivered almonds
3 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch baby spinach
1/3 cup shaved parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
Toast the almonds in a 350 F oven or on a dry, non-stick skillet, until fragrant and light brown. Do not let them burn. In a large bowl, combine almonds, oil, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
Add the spinach and half the cheese, toss well to coat them with the dressing. Add the remaining of the cheese on top, and serve immediately.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Spinach is the basis of this salad, but the almonds take the flavor to another level, from good to great. It’s all about how you toast them: if they’re just dark enough you’ll get an intense, popcorny flavor, without bitterness. This time I hit the jackpot, and I hope that you do too!
We enjoyed it with salmon but it will complement many other dishes: roasted chicken, grilled pork, a juicy T-bone steak, or even a panini. The original recipe used arugula instead of spinach, so keep that in mind as an alternative.
ONE YEAR AGO: Watermelon Granita
CANTINHO BRASILEIRO
SALADA DE ESPINAFRE COM AMENDOAS E PARMIGGIANO
(Everyday Food, junho de 2010)
1 / 3 xícara de amêndoas em lascas
3 colheres de sopa de azeite
2 colheres de chá de suco de limão fresco
2 colheres de chá de vinagre balsâmico
sal e pimenta moída
espinafre
1 / 3 xícara de queijoparmiggiano em lascas (usar um descascador de legumes)
Torre as amendoas em um forno medio ou em uma frigeira tefal sem oleo, ate’ que dourem e fiquem bem perfumadas. Não deixe queimar. Em uma tigela grande, misture as amêndoas, óleo, suco de limão e vinagre balsâmico, tempere com sal e pimenta.
Adicione o espinafre e metade do queijo, misture bem para incorporar com o molho. Adicione o restante do queijo por cima e sirva imediatamente.
My compliments on your site. I subscribe to several sites such as yours and must say that none are more to my liking than yours. Your recipes are doable for me and appealing.
The best part of your site is that you put some of the recips in Portuguese. Love that! Thank you so much.
I have lived in Brazil for the past 35 years and enjoy reading the recipes in Portuguese also. I will pass them on to other friends and I know they will enjoy them also.
You are doing a great job. Thanks again for all your hard work and the time you put into posting the thoughts and ideas.
Linda Walmer
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Linda, to wake up very early on a cold morning and find your comment was such a wonderful way to start the day! Thanks so much, it’s great to know you enjoy my blog and get something out of it.
Living in Brazil for so long, you are pretty much a native by now.. 😉
Thanks again for commenting…
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I used to tell my son that he had to eat his spinach so that he can be as strong as POPEYE, He bought it 🙂
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Thanks for this recipe, Sally! We have a yard of spinach at the moment.. 🙂
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tasty classic….we do not have baby spinach here anymore (out of season, it is very difficult to buy it).
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Hi, Magdalena!
I will be very sad when I cannot find baby spinach anymore, but I suspect that here it’s almost always available (fingers crossed!)
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