Recipe: Spicy Borani

Recipe Source: Kremezi, Aglaia. Mediterranean Hot and Spicy. Broadway Books, New York, 2009 pp. 88-9

I made this originally for my in-laws on their most recent visit, but I didn't make it in time to actually serve it to them. The dish needs to sit for a minimum of three hours and I just had too much going on. It got away from me. Fortunately we were hosting Sunday open house the next day. I could feed it to those guests. I've seen a lot of variations of borani, frankly, and I've been wanting to try them for quite some time but something always stopped me. This time someone added jalapenos and I really feel like that was the tipping point, when I decided to go for it.

I did make a few changes to the recipe. First – I used baby spinach because it was easier without realizing the frankly high price of bagged baby spinach. That is the reason for the high cost per serving. Don't make that mistake. If your market carries regular old spinach, use that. Second, I reversed the proportions of parsley and cilantro. This was a matter of personal preference. I much prefer cilantro to parsley. I increased the garlic and I substituted hazelnuts for walnuts. In the end I really liked this dish, and so did the people who ate it.

Spicy Borani (serves 8; approx. $2.99/serving)

1 ½ pounds spinach, chopped and rinsed

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 cups Greek yogurt

8 garlic cloves, crushed

3 jalapeno chilies, finely chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Equipment:

• Saucepan
• Colander
• Large bowl

1. Put the spinach in the saucepan. Don't add water: the water that clings to the leaves after rinsing it should be sufficient here.
2. Cover and steam over high heat 2 – 3 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn.
3. Remove from heat and transfer the spinach to a colander. Drain, cool, and then squeeze with your hands to dry as much as possible. Do not squeeze then cool. You will burn yourself and be sad.
4. Chop the spinach finely and transfer to the bowl.
5. Add the parsley, cilantro, yogurt, garlic and chilies. Stir well.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3 hours.
8. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with hazelnuts and serve.