When I was a junior in college I studied abroad in Barcelona. It was an amazing 6 months with many adventures, wonderful friends, and lots and lots of delicious food. I was incredibly lucky because the mother in my host family was a fantastic cook and she introduced me to many traditional Spanish and Catalan dishes.
One of my favorites was Espinacas a la Catalana (Catalan-style Spinach). It was a revelation. It is a garlicky sautéed spinach with raisins and pine nuts mixed in. While spinach had always been one of my favorite vegetables, the way that she balanced salty, sweet, and garlic in the dish with a light crunch from the pine nuts was wonderfully addictive. When it came time to have my good-bye dinner and she asked me what I wanted on the menu, Espinacas a la Catalana was my number one request.
Since then, it has been a dish that I make from time to time, especially if I have some really nice, fresh spinach. Last week I was craving it but didn’t have any of the ingredients (panic stations!), so I decided to try my hand at a variation… and it was delicious! So today I am sharing it with you….
