A New Spin On Spinach

Spinach as been the main or secondary main ingredient in a lot of dishes. It adds color and flavor to omelets, spark to quiches and sparkles as the star of spinach pie. Now imagine it as a condiment. Cooked down to its' essence, it becomes a must have for meat and fish dishes.

Great chef and baker, Yotam Ottolenghi wrote about pkaila (or sometimes known as bkeila).It is a cooked down condiment that Tunisian Jews make.It's a variation of cholent,the cooked down beef stew  eaten by Ashkenazi Jews.It can be cooked with the leaves or Swiss chard. It's basically frying down spinach leaves in a generous quantity of olive oil. It cooks down to a greasy black paste, basically the essence of the plant.The paste is packed with flavor, a rich blend of spinach and olive oil. There are two methods of creating this. One is chopping fresh leaves and cooking them in a Dutch oven over a medium heat in a Dutch oven. Use a wooden spoon to stir it about. Start adding oil when the spinach is almost done and releasing steam. Continue to stir and add oil at regular intervals. Do this for about one hour or one hour and fifteen minutes. The spinach should be blackened but not burned. The quicker way is taking two pounds of drained frozen spinach and microwaving it with olive or even vegetable oil Use five spoonfuls and do this for three times after microwaving the leaves for fifteen minutes each time.Once completed , puree the spinach mixture in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Store in jars , adding more olive oil before sealing.

Chef Ottolenghi pairs pkaila with halibut.It won't over whelm the fish but will definitely shine, Most Tunisian home chefs use the condiment to make tfina pkaila,a stew made with oxtails, and butter beans.The fish is cooked with chickpeas and the two are marinated in a spicy blend of cumin.cloves and coriander. Chef Ottolenghi also uses a mainstay of Middle Eastern cooking powdered Persian lime. You can buy it at any Middle Eastern grocery store or on Amazon. You can also make it by taking the dried fruit and roughly crush it with a side of a knife. It's then grinding the lime in a spice grinder. The fish filets and chickpeas are fried separately. They re then placed on the pkaila which has been zinged up with more dried Persian lime powder and cinnamon for sweetness and, cumin, cloves and Anaheim green peppers for zest. A lemon peel salsa is sprinkled over the finished dish for more tang. There is also another recipe,with fresh cooked spinach and cooling yogurt, along with the chickpeas and the spices and powdered Persian lime  that Chef Ottolenghi loves.

Try pkaila as a new way of having spinach. It is a great way to experience the leaves in a new and different way. It's an exciting and exotic spin on a classic ingredient.