01/21/2020
Kina Spinach is a very versatile green, equally suited to being served raw or lightly cooked. To make it easy, just use Kina Spinach anywhere you’d use spinach. Lightly steam or sauté it, wilt the leaves with a warm dressing, or add them to a soup at the end of cooking.
Kina Spinach Citrus Salad
1. 1 head of fresh Kina Spinach
2. 3 small ripe Clementines (substitute Mandarin, 1-2 Tangelo, 1 Orange, etc.)
3. ½ red bell pepper
4. A few slices of a red onion
5. 25 roasted almonds
6. A pinch of salt
7. ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
8. ½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard
9. ½ honey
10. 1 tablespoon of Orange Marmalade
11. 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
12. Juice of half a lemon
Peel and thinly slice the three Clementines and place them in a large salad bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and wash the slices under cold water (this allows some of the pungency to be washed off) and then dry them with a paper towel. Slice the red bell pepper into bite sized pieces and place them in the bowl.
Wash Kina Spinach under cold water and dry it completely with kitchen towels or in a salad spinner. Place the leaves in the salad bowl. The stems of Kina Spinach are edible but would be a bit stringy in the salad, so I didn’t use them in the salad. But they add a lot of flavor to vegetable broth so I’ll keep them for use later. Using a sharp knife coarsely chop the roasted almonds. Add the chopped almonds and the onion pieces to the bowl.
Combine the Dijon mustard, Orange marmalade, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small dish and whisk them all together till the liquids get emulsified to make a dressing. Drizzle the dressing over the salad bowl and toss everything together (gently) with a pair of salad serves. Serve the salad immediately so that the leaves do not wilt from the dressing.
Kina Spinach in Mustard Dressing
The mustard dressing compliments the tangy taste of the Kina Spinach, while the dark leaves and white stalks contrast each other.
12 oz. washed and chopped Kina Spinach
2 medium scallions or green onions
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, mustard, salt and oil. In a wide skillet or wok combine Kina Spinach and dressing and saute until leaves are tender but stalks are still crunchy. Add scallion greens and toss. Arrange Kina Spinach on serving platter and drizzle with any remaining dressing from the pan.
