Could this possibly be one of the yummiest salads i have ever made? Hands down it is! Its everyones favorite salad when they come to dinner and it is one of the few plates that disappear no matter how large of a platter i made. Its easy and versatile and goes with literally everyting or just on its own for a light lunch or dinner. Its nutritious, delicious and satisfying for the soul.
This salad is a traditional one in the arab world, it is normally made from ‘Hindbeh” or wild chicory. Wild chicory is a plant that is foraged in spring all over the Levant and is used to make this delicious salad with caramelised onions. Wild chicory has a slightly bitter taste but it nomally goes well with the sourness and sweetness of the olive oil and the of the caramelised onions. When we moved to the States many years ago my mother couldn’t find wild chicory and ofcourse anything that reminded her and us of home was important to keep us sane during what was a very strange and unsettling times. So in order to recreate this dish my mom substituted spinach instead and it worked out just as good as the original. Now we all love this salad so much that i find it to be as satisfying and amazing as the original was.
- 800g of Spinach
- 2 onions cut in half moon shapes
- 4 tbsp of Lemon juice
- 4tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/4 tsp of Aleppo pepper
- 1/4 cup pomegranates
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In a shallow frying pan add 3tbsp of olive oil place on high heat. Add the onions and fry until golden brown and set aside.
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In a large bowl, place spinach and pour hot boiling water until they are all submerged. Soak for ten minutes.
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Remove from water and in small batches squeeze out all the water from the spinach forming small shaped balls and set them aside, this step makes all the difference (DO NOT SKIP )if you do you will end up with a watery tasteless salad and you don’t want that!
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Cut the spinach balls in half and then in strips. In a medium sized bowl add spinach and the rest of the ingredients except the onions and mix very well. Spread thinly on a large platter and garnish with fried onions and pomegranates.