The first dish of the day for our Thanksgiving feast was Borani, a Persian spinach and yogurt dip. This recipe comes from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook.

Lisa says:

This is delicious! And even better after it’s been chilled.

Chris says:

Yeah I really like this — next time we have people over I’ll have to make it again, but double the recipe. Hey, I’m thirsty.

Lisa says:

Good thing I made Sangria!

Borani
——
1 bunch fresh spinach, well rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
1 cup chopped onions
3 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1/3 cup feta cheese
2 tbsp light plain yogurt
salt and ground pepper to taste

After rinsing the spinach, cook for a few minutes over medium heat in a covered sauce pan until wilted but still bright green. Drain the spinach and press in a colander or sieve to squeeze out the excess moisture.
Saute the onions, scallions, and garlic in the olive oil. When the onions are soft and translucent, stir in the spinach and dill and heat for about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to press out any extra liquid and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the feta and yogurt and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least an hour.
Serve with bread or pita.

Makes approx. 2 cups

I’ve always wanted to make Chicken Saag at home; it has been and remains one of my all-time favorite Indian dishes. I tend to judge every Indian restaurant by this dish — but this version gives the local joints a run for their money, and it’s lower in fat. The recipe is based on a few I found online, but with a lot less oil.

Chris says:

This was a bit time consuming, but really easy. It came out *so* good!

Lisa says:

Yeah, it really did. I love the spices.

Chris says:

Next time I’d make it a little hotter, but other than that it’s exactly the way I like it.

Lisa says:

Maybe a little less chicken?

Chris says:

Sounds good. I’ll post the recipe like I’ll prepare it next time.

Saag Chicken
————
2 lbs chicken breast, cubed
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, minced
1 (400g) can crushed tomatoes
1 inch ginger, minced
4 tbsp milk
4 bunches spinach, washed & chopped
2 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 big cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
7 tsp oil
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt

Heat 4 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat, add the chicken and stir-fry for around 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside.
Put the spinach in a pot, add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. When cool, grind very well (almost to a paste) in blender and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the ginger, garlic and onions, stirring until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, turmeric, cloves and cardamom. Add a tablespoon of water and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
Add chicken and milk to the pan. Simmer until the chicken is tender (about 10 minutes).
Add spinach and garam masala to the pan. Cook until spinach starts sticking to the pan (about 15 minutes).
Remove from heat, add butter and cover until ready to serve with rice.

4 Servings

Tonight Lisa tossed linguine with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and pine nuts to create a filling, delicious pasta dinner.

Chris says:

So where did this recipe come from?

Lisa says:

My dad ordered the Daily Special at Hobee’s years ago and liked it so much that he recreated the recipe at home.

Chris says:

It’s really good — I like the mixture of all the different veggies. You should submit this to this week’s Presto Pasta Night round-up!

Lisa says:

Remind people to thoroughly wash the spinach so they don’t crunch on dirt.

Chris says:

That just makes it an “earthy” meal, right? Hey, extra nutrients!

California Pasta
—————-
1 16 oz box linguine
1 tbsp olive oil
3 bunches spinach, cleaned, stemmed
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup pine nuts
2 onions, sliced
black pepper
basil
Italian seasoning
1 bunch parsley, chopped
8 oz chopped kalamata olives
8 oz feta, crumbled

In a large pot, heat water to boiling for the linguine.
When the water is boiling, add the linguine and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente, and drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, pine nuts, and tomatoes. Add black pepper, basil, and Italian seasoning to taste. Sauté for 10 minutes.
Little by little, add the spinach to the onion mixture and stir just until spinach wilts.
Add the drained linguine to the skillet and mix thoroughly. Top with the parsley, olives, and feta cheese.

4-6 Servings