Dinner with Tessa.....

Two years ago, I bought two Tessa Kiros cookbooks...Apples for Jam and Falling Cloudberries. Now for anyone who likes to simply read cookbooks, these are a must have but they are full of truly great recipes. So far, every recipe I have tried for us has been wonderful and for keeps.

So this week, I decided to try a new way to prepare spinach which is a favorite vegetable in our house. I found this recipe in Falling Cloudberries which I adapted for use as a side dish for two people.....

Spinach Pilaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 spring onions, chopped
dried ground garlic flakes
1 lb (450gr) fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup (125ml) long grain (silvervlies) rice

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add spring onions and sauté. Add the garlic flakes. Start adding the spinach leaves until they are mixed into the onion. It does not need to be totally wilted at this stage but you need space to fit the rice into the pan. Add the rice, salt and ground black pepper stirring in well. Pour 1 cup of cold water in and bring to a boil. Now reduce the heat and allow to simmer until all the water is evaporated. Fluff by stirring. I added a little more salt and pepper but do this to taste.

This is adapted from the recipe for two servings.

I served our rice pilaf with our meat for the evening and a vegetable dish we love...cook celery. I cut up celery to approximately 3 inch long pieces. Boil in water for about 15 minutes. Drain and serve with sea salt and a sprinkling of old Dutch cheese (or cheese of your choice).

The newest Tessa Kiros cookbook is coming out this October and I already love the name and cover photo! I am looking forward to getting this one but until then, I have a good number of recipes marked to try in my other two.