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Borani-e Esfenaj

This refreshing Iranian salad has a pure and delicate flavor.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1

pound spinach

1

cup thick strained Greek-style yogurt or plain whole-milk yogurt

2

cloves garlic, crushed

3

/4 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper

2

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Wash the spinach and remove stems only if they are thick and hard. Drain the leaves and put them in a large pan. Cover and set over low heat until the leaves crumple into a soft mass. They steam in the water that clings to them in very few minutes.

    Step 2

    Drain, and when cool enough, squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Chop with a sharp knife and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

  2. Variation

    Step 3

    Another version calls for 1 large chopped onion sautéed in 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.