If you’re looking for a special dish to serve for Easter, try this salad/side dish featuring fresh spinach and plain madzoon (yogurt). It’s healthy, creamy, and only takes a few minutes to make!
This recipe is adapted from Rose Baboian’s Easter Spinach Salad in the ‘Armenian-American Cook Book’. It is called a 'salad', but it's more-like a unique creamed spinach side dish.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 15minutes
Cook Time 7minutes
Cool 10minutes
Total Time 32minutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
10-12oz.fresh spinach thick stems removed and discarded; leaves washed and drained with excess water removed. If the leaves are large, rough-chop them.
2 Tbsp.olive oil
2small clovesgarlicfinely chopped
1cupplain, Greek-style yogurt
½cup flat-leaf Italian parsleychopped
salt and black pepperto taste
¼ – ½tsp.Aleppo pepperoptional
Garnishes
sesame seedsoptional
parsley sprigsoptional
Instructions
In a large non-stick skillet, gently heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds or until it starts to brown Do not let garlic burn!
Add the spinach, a little at a time, stirring to coat with oil and garlic. Sauté until spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, drain any excess liquid and allow spinach to cool, about 10 minutes. Note: Even though it looks like a huge amount of spinach, it cooks down very quickly.
In a mixing bowl, whisk yogurt until it is creamy. If yogurt seems a bit thick, stir-in a little warm water to loosen it up. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and Aleppo pepper, if desired. Stir to combine.
Add cooled spinach and mix in the chopped parsley; adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Transfer spinach mixture to a serving bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds and/or parsley, if desired.