Wilted Spinach with Pine Nuts and Lemon-Yogurt Dressing

This lovely little warm wilted spinach dish will enhance a quiet summer evening meal of pasta, bread, olives and cheese with a loved one … there's no need to tell your special friend that it's especially nourishing and healthy besides. Adapted slightly from Martha Rose Shulman's Mediterranean Harvest.

Wilted spinach with pine nuts and lemon-yogurt dressing

Dressing:

2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup whole-fat yogurt, drained in a cheesecloth for several hours or overnight
juice from 1 lemon

Spinach:

10 oz. baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 fresh green cayenne pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon demerara or rapadura sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

To make the dressing, mash together the garlic with the salt in a mortar and pestle. Mix together with the drained yogurt and lemon juice. Add more salt if desired and set aside.

Put the baby spinach in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for just a couple of minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop.

Heat a medium saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl around to coat the pan. Toss in the onion, cayenne pepper, sugar and cumin and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Stir in the pine nuts and continue to stir for a couple of minutes until the pine nuts are lightly browned.

Remove from heat and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, or set aside to reheat gently with a little water later on if preparing ahead of time. Transfer to a serving plate and top with the dressing. Serves 2.