Sautéed Spinach with Lemon-and-Garlic Olive Oil

Name: Sautéed Spinach with Lemon-and-Garlic Olive Oil
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 10 garlic cloves, thickly sliced lengthwise; 2 dried chiles de árbol, broken in half; Kosher salt; Thick strips of zest from 1 lemon; 2 1/2 pounds spinach, cleaned, thick stems discarded; Freshly ground pepper

1 Review

"In every little restaurant in Umbria, there are sautéed greens on the menu," says star chef Nancy Silverton. Here, she blanches spinach, then sautés it in garlic-spiked oil until all the leaves are thoroughly coated.

By

Nancy Silverton

Updated on January 1, 2015

SautÃ©ed Spinach with Lemon-and-Garlic Olive Oil — Photo: © John Kernick

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs 35 mins

Yield:

4 to 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 garlic cloves, thickly sliced lengthwise
2 dried chiles de árbol, broken in half
Kosher salt
Thick strips of zest from 1 lemon
2 1/2 pounds spinach, cleaned, thick stems discarded
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, stir together the olive oil, garlic, chiles and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the lemon zest. Bring the oil to a gentle simmer over low heat and cook until the garlic begins to brown slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the oil infuse for 1 hour. Discard the chiles and lemon zest and reserve the garlic.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the spinach until bright green, 15 seconds. Using tongs, transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice water and let cool for 10 seconds. Drain the spinach in a colander, pressing down to remove all the water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Heat a large skillet. Add the spinach and cook over moderately high heat until beginning to sizzle. Add the garlic oil and toss until the spinach is hot, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach and reserved garlic to a colander set over a bowl to drain. Mound the spinach on a platter, season with salt and pepper and serve.