love + chocolate molten cake

It’s been 5 ½ years since my husband, Matt, proposed to me on Calder Hill at the Storm King Sculpture Garden in Upstate New York. About a week after the proposal, we were legally married at City Hall in Manhattan (which is also the same building where my husband’s grandfather used to work as a condemnation lawyer for the city- just a fun fact!). We filled out the marriage certificate, repeated a few phrases, there was perma-smile, laughter and a few tears of joy. And in an instant we were legally wed. In that moment my husband gave me two of the most valuable gifts of all: his commitment to our love…and health insurance.

Our legal marriage was followed by a religious ceremony in my parent’s backyard near the roses. It was important to them since they are observant and religious people. There was a ketuba, a rabbi, mumblings in Hebrew...and just like that, our union was sanctioned by the Lord (and though my husband and I are both agnostics and our interest in Jewish culture boils down to customs that revolve around food- it was important to our loved ones, so we did it).

By the time our third wedding came around, this one at Wave Hill in NYC in early November, all of the legal and religious requirements had been satisfied, so we could really just have a party and do things our way. We wanted the celebration to feel like “us”- so we asked our friend Rigsy to assemble a four piece Jazz Band - which we knew would set the tone we wanted. We walked down the aisle to Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World and concluded the ceremony with Down by the Riverside- which admittedly is a baptismal song with Gospel roots, but it’s a song that we’ve always loved and reminded us of our time in the Big Easy, which is where we met and fell in love. We also got married next to the Hudson River, so it kind of tied together nicely.

There were speeches about love and the early parts of our union. Our dear friend Megan read Walt Whitman's poem Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and my father-in-law recited a Scottish sonnet that everyone remembers loving, but no one can remember where it came from or what the title was (if you know, let me know!). 

My mother- who's a really a great orator which I attribute to her years in education- presented the sermon. She talked about doing good and honest work (at which point many of my husband's Legal Aid colleagues erupted into applause) and then she talked about the significance of the chuppah, the bridal canopy. 
Standing under the chuppah, surrounded by 160 of our closest friends and relatives, was a truly wonderful moment-- one of the best of my life to be truthful. Our chuppah was constructed of poles, linen and what seemed like a million flowers (which were later donated to the Hebrew Home for the Aged for crafting projects). Traditionally, the chuppah symbolizes the couple's first home together and it is also usually associated with the tent of Abraham-- since it is open on all sides. The idea is that newlywed couple should be able to build a home that is welcoming to passersby, neighbors, friends and family.


When we bought our home in Denver, it was our hope that it would be filled with a never-ending stream of loved ones and neighbors. And in that sense, our hope has come true. For almost nine weeks straight, family and friends came to stay with us- beginning in July and ending in the early fall. Friends who were road-tripping across the country, friends who were making Denver a pit stop on a larger trip to explore national parks, and friends who just wanted to see where we finally landed (and missed us!) all made their way to our new abode in Congress Park. My parents, my brother, in-laws, aunts and cousins came too. We all cooked together, ate together, drank together, and sat outside on the porch talking and laughing. There was warmth and love…and somehow, in our fair city by the mountains, we managed to create our own little chuppah-- where the door is always open…and if you come and visit you'll be greeted by something warm coming out of the oven…maybe, even, this chocolate molten cake.  
See you all soon! 
xo, 
Batya
Wedding photography by: Courtney Davidson Photography


 Last month Matt and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. To celebrate the milestone I made Chocolate Molten Cake, which was the dessert served at our wedding! This recipe comes from a former law school classmate, Laura Marasco, who like me, seems to have developed a love of cooking and baking. So thank you Laura for sending this my way. The recipe is an amalgamation from several sources and Laura cobbled it together about 10 years ago. If it is attributable to any one particular source, she can't remember. My only tip is: DO NOT over bake it! For all you Denverites out there, I suggest pulling the ramekins out of the oven at around 9 minutes!

Chocolate Molten Cakes
Ingredients
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons flour
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (Laura uses Hershey's Dark. I went with a bulk bittersweet block- label unknown)
2 tablespoons cold cream (or milk or half & half)
1/4 cup cocoa
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease and flour the ramekins or mugs.
In a double boiler (or a bowl set over a pot of simmering water), melt the stick of butter with the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in the cocoa (sift it in) and cream. Sift flour over top and whisk that in too.
In a bowl, whisk together (or use a mixer) the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and salt until thick ribbons form, about 3 minutes.
Add sugar and mix until well incorporated. Mix a little of the chocolate into the eggs to temper. Add the rest gradually. 
Divide among the dishes and bake until the sides of the cake are set but the inside is still soft- about 10-12 minutes* (*Denver or altitude bakers- mine took 9 minutes). DON'T OVERBAKE!
Remove from the oven and let cool in the ramekins for 2 minutes. Then unmold (or you can serve in the baking dishes) onto dessert plates. 
Serve with a little coffee gelato or fresh whipped cream. I served it with a tiny bit of powdered sugar and berries.
Enjoy! 
Makes 4


broncosnation, pumpkin cheese soup + ask a beer guy (or, sunday in denver)


I grew up with Yankee baseball. I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I went to my first game, but I was definitely pretty young, like maybe 4 or 5 years old. My mother grew up on the Grand Concourse, a stone’s throw away from Yankee Stadium, and my father is from the Bronx too- so Yankee baseball is in my blood. But that’s really where sports started and ended in our family. If it wasn’t Yankee baseball it was nothing. Up until last week I had never been to any other professional sporting events- no football, no hockey and no basketball. But things changed when my husband’s cousin Melissa, who was in Denver visiting us (again!), scored three tickets for the Broncos-Redskins game.

Excitement over the ticket-score quickly turned to worry, for the night before the game I came down with flu-like symptoms, including high fever and a sore throat. So I drank a few cups of hot tea with lemon and honey, popped a bunch of Halls cough drops into my mouth, managed to swallow a few ibuprofen and then went to bed…hoping that I'd feel better in the morning. 

Except that I couldn’t sleep. The pain was awful and swallowing, at this point, was nearly impossible. Knowing that something was wrong, I went to an Urgent Care Center (which thankfully accepted my insurance) and there I was given the diagnosis: acute tonsillitis caused by an extreme streptocchocal infection. Not exactly the news I wanted to receive. 


Now here in Denver football is like a religion and almost everyone is a parishioner, including Megan, the nurse practitioner who was treating me. She understood the severity of the situation - and we both knew that unless I was going to be medevaced or put in the I.C.U., I simply had to be in those section 509 seats! We both agreed that time was of the essence, so she took out the "big guns" (so to speak) and pretty much guaranteed that they would do the trick. 
I got a steroid injection in a place…well, let's just say it was in a location other than my arm…which made me feel like a true professional athlete. I began a course of antibiotics immediately, and as promised, by kickoff time I was feeling much better. I was almost as good as new.





As we made our way to the stadium I briefly feared that I would be outted as an imposter, as someone who had only recently learned the rules of the game (two weeks ago). But I was wearing bright orange threads and seamlessly made the transition from I-don’t-know-the-first-thing-about-football to hells-yeah-you-better-believe-I’m-a-Broncos-fan. It was awesome. 
The crowd was electric…all 76,000 people in attendance were cheering on the hometown team. I followed along: 1st down, 2nd down, another 10 yards so 1st down again, incomplete, touchdown and so on. You get the picture. It was amazing. There were fans, and players, and horses, and fireworks, and a half-time show that included a re-enactment of Thriller (it was Halloween weekend), cheerleaders, more fireworks, more horses, acrobats and lots of pretzel eating by yours truly. The people watching was great too. There were dedicated fans with painted faces, grandmothers with Broncos medallions hanging from their earrings, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, older folks and younger folks. And lots of people in orange. At times the cheering was deafening, which is just the way I like professional sporting events...








So now I get it. This whole football thing.  It grasps the city of Denver every year. And every one of the season's 16 games are exciting, especially if the Broncos win…which they did on that beautiful autumn afternoon.  
* * *

Since I've been bitten by the Broncos bug, I’m pretty sure that we will be hosting a game or two this season. I was thinking of starting things off with home made pretzels and various dipping sauces…to be followed by this Pumpkin, Cheese and Beer Soup which I spotted on Spoon Fork Bacon.  As the recipe title indicates, there's lots of cheese in this soup and the orange color from the pumpkin and cheddar makes it a perfect dish for the season- as well as for the novice Broncos fan who just can’t get enough of Eric Decker. Go Broncos! 
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup (Adapted slightly from Spoon Fork Bacon)
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 large leek, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 rib celery, diced

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme

1 (12 ounce) bottle pumpkin ale

2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole milk (low-fat is fine)

2/3 cup pumpkin puree
 (I added another tablespoon)
3 ½- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
(I used almost all of a .75 lbs. block)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste 
(this is key before serving)
simple butter croutons:

1 cup diced sourdough bread

3 1/2 tablespoon melted salted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
For croutons: Place all the ingredients into a bowl and toss them together until they are evenly coated. Pour the croutons into a large skillet and place them over medium heat. Toast the croutons for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool and crisp. Set the croutons aside until you're ready to use them.

For soup: 
  • Pour the oil into a medium pot and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion and leek and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions and leeks have become translucent. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes and stir in 2 tablespoons thyme. Add the beer and broth and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the vegetable mixture is fork tender. Remove it from the heat and set aside.

  • In another medium pot melt the butter. Whisk in the flour to create a roux and continue to whisk for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk (about ¼ cup at a time) until there are no lumps remaining and the mixture thickens. Stir in the pumpkin puree and mix until smooth. Toss the cheese together with the lemon juice before stirring it into the milk mixture. Stir until the cheese sauce is smooth.  Stir in the remaining spices.

  • Pour the cheese mixture and broth mixture into a blender and blend until smooth (or use an immersion blender which is what I did- it makes clean up much easier). Pour the mixture back into a pot and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until soup thickens slightly. Stir in the remaining thyme and adjust the seasonings (salt and pepper are key here).

  • Ladle the soup into bowls and top with buttered croutons. Then serve! 
* * * 

Now what's football without beer? I wanted to find a seasonal beer that would pair well with the aforementioned Pumpkin Cheese Soup, so I Asked A Beer Guy. 

Chris Cohen, a friend of mine who's beer savvy, a Certified Cicerone and founder of the San Francisco Homebrewer's Guild (plus all-around awesome guy) had a few ideas:

"The pumpkin cheese beer soup is super rich and dense, with some seriously intense flavor. Many people think wine is the way to go when pairing with cheese, but beer lovers know that’s just ridiculous! You’ll want an intensely flavored beer that can stand up to the soup’s rich cheesy flavor and dense mouthfeel. If you want to keep things seasonal, go with a wet hop IPA like Sierra Nevada’s Northern Harvest Wet Hop Ale, or if you’re lucky enough to be able to find a bottle, grab one of Almanac Beer Co.’s Fresh Hop IPAs. Fresh hop IPAs are beers made with hops that have been picked within the previous day or so, and they often impart a grassy herbal hop character, though it depends on the hop varietal used. Fresh hop IPAs have the high abv, malt backbone, and big fresh hop character to stand up to a flavorful cheese soup, plus their herbal and grassy fresh hop character should pair perfectly with thyme or other herbs in the dish."

Thanks, Chris! You can find out more about Chris's work and beer consultation on his website, as well as beer related things on the SFHG  Facebook page. Now I'm ready to watch football, ladle some soup and drink beer! (Don't worry friends, I still won't wear fleece, jerseys or crocks.)
Stay tuned, Ask A Beer Guy will be back with beer pairing suggestions for middle-eastern pumpkin fatayer appetizers and pumpkin ravioli too!

hiking paint mines interpretive park + aran's roasted parsnip & apple soup with mustard croutons



There’s just something about hiking and being outdoors that invigorates the soul. Getting out there is just plain good for you. I'm always looking for new places to explore, so when Jen (of Hazel & Dewey) sent me an email about one of her favorite childhood places to hike, the Paint Mines Interpretive Park not too far from Colorado Springs, I put it on my short list of places to go. 


Recently I’ve been struggling with time management issues. I spent over 3 years out of the workforce raising my sons, but now I'm back in it and full force. Like most women who transition from stay-at-home-mother to hello-working-lady (!), I know that it will take a little bit time to get the balance just right. That said, being outdoors helps me feel centered and it helps me clear my head. It also gives me a bit of perspective.
I had a ton of work to do over the weekend, but I decided to carve out one full day- Saturday- to spend with my husband and kids.  I needed a day to explore some place new - free from work, without my computer, sans laundry piles and dirty dishes. All I wanted to do was spend time in the bright warm sun and hike a bit…everything else could wait for Sunday.
So we walked around. The weather was perfect and the sky was the deepest shade of blue. I'm not sure I've ever seen a bluer sky. The grasses were the color of wheat and straw and the rock formations at the park were beautiful, striped with red. Added to all this good-nature-stuff, was the fact that my boys were perfectly behaved and we spent an afternoon free of temper-tantrums. I'm talking about excellent behavior! (Can I get a witness?!)


While we hiked around for about 2 hours, you can easily go on for longer. There are miles  of hiking trails in the area, but we stayed in the immediate vicinity of the rock formations, which I just learned are called hoodoos. If you're thinking about doing this hike in the summer, just note that there is no shade. We picked a perfect 65-degrees day, and the sun was still really strong because the hike is at about 6400 ft. in elevation.  Now get out there are hike...you can do all your other chores and errands tomorrow!  

PS: Do you have a favorite hiking spot? Tell me about it in the comments section. 


Getting There: About 1 hour and 45 minutes drive from Denver, 35-40 miles west of Colorado Springs.

Difficulty: Relatively easy and not very strenuous- perfect for our kids who hike regularly.
What to Bring: A hat, sunscreen, water and wipes (our kids played in lots of mud and sand).
Facilities: Long toilets, but they were relatively clean.



...and then there was soup.
The past few weeks have been beautiful here in Colorado- with the exception of about 2 days which happened to coincide with a visit from my in-laws (drat!). But even when we get picture-perfect fall weather the bright sunny days turn into chilly nights once the sun goes down. This makes the month of October perfect for daytime hikes and soup-slupring nights. And right now I'm all about this soup!
I found the recipe in Aran Goyoaga's Small Plates, Sweet Treats. It's simple, clean, seasonal and delicious. I topped it off with some brown seed-bread croutons, a drizzle of olive oil and some Gruyere. 
Enjoy and happy trails.
xo, Batya
{Other Small Plates and Sweet Treats recipes on this blog: Grilled Corn + Herbed Chowder}
* * *

Roasted Parsnip & Apple Soup with Mustard Croutons
Adapted ever-so-slightly from Small Plates and Sweet Treats: My Family’s Journey to Gluten-free Cooking by Aran Goyoaga, author of the blog Canelle et Vanille.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound (450g) parsnips, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil, plus more for garnish
 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt 

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
  • 
1 medium yellow onion, diced 

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 

  • 1 celery stalk, diced 

  • 2 medium Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced 

  • 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced 

  • 4 cups of vegetable stock + 1 cup of water (original recipe calls for 5 cups chicken stock) 

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander 

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 

  • 3 slices bread (recipe calls for Gluten-free, I used brown seed bread), cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
  • 
Grated Gruyère cheese, for garnish

Preparation: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Toss the diced parsnips, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the slat, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the parsnips halfway through the cooking process. 

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender but not browned. 

3. Add the roasted parsnips, apples, potatoes, stock + 1 cup water, coriander, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 

4. Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, and thyme leaves. Add the diced bread cubes and toss them in the dressing. Lay the croutons on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until golden and crispy. 

5. Puree the soup in a blender. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup with the croutons, olive oil and Gruyère. The soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or it can be frozen for up to 1 month.

walking RiNo + the source (in instagram)


Nothing really prepares you for the role of motherhood. In almost every aspect of daily living, you, as the mother, come second (or third or fourth). It's the hardest role I've had to fill, but it's something I've always wanted. The sounds of high-pitched squealing and laughter are incredible. The energy, enthusiasm, joy and curiosity of young children amazes me. But having two kids, 22 months apart, means that there are tough days too. That is pretty much a given. Mixed in with love and affection are tears and frustrations, temper-tantrums and meltdowns, refusals to eat food I've cooked and sibling rivalry. I assume that most mothers struggle with all of this so I don't think I'm going through anything unusual. 

Recently I've been feeling the need to carve out alone time- which is a bit odd considering I'm an extrovert by nature who craves company (most of the time).  I can probably count the number of times I've been alone in the past four years (i.e. no husband, no children, no friends- just me) on one hand.
For the past four years my life has been shared- completely-with two little people, whom I love dearly, more than anything in fact. They have taught me to be more patient, to love deeply, to burst into laughter, to beam with pride, to watch and listen...and all that good stuff. I enjoy it all. This role of being a mother. But I needed a little bit of space to think, without distractions. Maybe even wander new streets and get lost a little bit...

I was a stay-at-home mother for the first 3 years of Otis's life, right up until he began preschool last January- part time. Theodore remained by my side. We walked the city (got the lay of the land), borrowed books from the library, cooked together and shopped for herbs and fresh tofu at H-Mart. But 5 weeks ago something happened. For the first time both of my boys were enrolled in the same pre-school on overlapping days. After I dropped them off for their first day of preschool, I walked out of the building completely alone. 
So I decided to walk.
I took myself on a little tour of RiNo, the River North Art District in Denver. It’s a really awesome part of the city where creative people are doing their thing...




The RiNo Arts District is home to some incredible restaurants, breweries, urban wineries, coffee shops, galleries, bars and street art (normally I would call it graffiti, but it's more than just tags- there are some really great works of public art in the alleys and on the buildings). 
I walked. And it was wonderful. I got lost in thought, took pictures on my phone, drank an iced coffee and soaked in the sun. The time flew by and before I knew it I had to pick my boys up from school. Otis told me how great his day was and introduced me to his new friend Tony. Theodore showed me his cubby and the place where he likes to play. 
The time apart was great, but when I went back to RiNo the following week...I brought my kids.





The Source is an example of brilliant urban renewal. The former 1880s ironworks warehouse, which stood vacant for many years I'm told, has been re-designed, re-purposed and re-conceptualized. Inside there's a cheese shop, a bakery, a butcher, a provisions shop (with lots of seasonal local vegetables), two restaurants (Acorn and Comida), a flower shop, a brewery and tap room  and a bar. There's an art gallery opening soon too. Anyway, it's beautiful and well-conceived- and there's even an old graffiti wall that's remained in tact. The Source has become my new addiction and should you find yourself in Denver, check it out. (Bike lanes might be coming soon!) 










Credits (to the best of my ability): The New Belgium Murual by Pedro Barrios Art, Joseph Martinez, CuttyUp; CannonDill and Brett Flanigan; Infinite Monkey Theorem: An Urban Winery by Hollis + Lana; Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew; Crema Coffee House; at Crema- Pedro Barrios, CuttyUp, Mountains vs. Plains, Mike Roane; Michael Ortiz at Like Minded Productions; The Source, featuring: Babette’s Bread, Acorn, CapRock Farm Bar (bar by Where Wood Meets Steel), Comida, Boxcar Coffee Roasters, Beet & Yarrow, Mondo Market (cheese and spices), DeVries Chocolate Nib Clusters. More vendors are opening soon, including Super Ordinary Gallery + a brewery and tap room. For more Denver feed (and more Source/RiNo photos) check out my instagram feed: www.instagram.com/sparrowsspatulas

ottolenghi and tamimi's baby spinach salad with dates + almonds (or, the best salad ever)


I’ve always gravitated toward Middle-Eastern cooking. A lot of the region’s staples happen to be vegetarian and I’m familiar with the food, having lived and travelled throughout the area. Of course what really keeps me coming back to the recipes is the taste. 
When we lived in Brooklyn I was a regular at Tanoreen, perhaps one of the best restaurants in the city and worth the shlep to Bay Ridge on the R train. If you haven't been to Tanoreen, Rawia Bisharah's beloved and ever-popular restaurant, you're missing out on the most delicious Middle-Eastern (in this case Palestinian) food this side of the Atlantic. 

When I want to make Middle-Eastern food at home, since I no longer live within a train ride of Tanoreen, I grab Jerusalem. It has amazing recipes and mouth-watering photos. And on a personal note, I find the connection between Ottolenghi (who's from the Jewish part of Jerusalem) and Tamimi (who's from the Palestinian part of Jerusalem) to be a source of inspiration in a place where it’s sometimes hard to find areas of commonality, let alone a deep friendship.

I wanted to keep things a bit light last week, so when I spotted this recipe for Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds I knew it would be perfect. The ingredients are straightforward and I had everything on hand except sumac, which is a wonderful spice with a kind of tart flavor. So the sumac hunt began…
It was kind of disappointing. I told Otis and Theodore, "We're going on a special treasure hunt. Doesn't that sound like fun?" At first they looked excited, but after making three separate stops and coming up empty-handed they were loosing interest...fast. 

It was after 6 p.m. so the good spice shops in town were already closed. I picked up my phone and called another “specialty market” and was transferred to bulk. I asked, “Hey, do you guys have sumac at your Colfax location?” The lady on the other end said, “Hold on, I’ll check.” I was put on hold for about 10 minutes. Then a voice at the other end of the phone said, “You probably meant Turmeric. Yes we do.” Sigh. (If I wanted Turmeric I would have asked for it…)

As if coming out of a fog, I said to myself, “What on Earth are you doing? You know where to get really great Middle-Eastern food and spices. Get with it girl…” So we drove to Aurora (a suburb of Denver with a large immigrant community and awesome food), made our way to S. Parker road where Arash Market was waiting for us with open doors. And there it was, hanging on a wall surrounded by lots of other spices, a little packet of sumac.



Baby Spinach Salad with Dates + Almonds
(Courtesy of Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi) 
Yields 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 1/2 ounces dates (100 grams), preferably Medjool, pitted and quartered lengthwise (add more if you're so inclined)
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 small pitas (about 3 1/2 ounces, or 100 grams), roughly torn into 1 1/2 -inch pieces
1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds (75 grams), coarsely chopped (I used slivered almonds and added them to the pan with the pita for about 1 minute.)
2 teaspoons sumac
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
5 to 6 ounces baby spinach leaves (150 grams)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preparation
  • ·      Put vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix well with your hands. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain any residual vinegar and discard. (It didn't have any residual liquid.)


  • ·      Meanwhile, heat butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add pita and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring all the time, until pita is golden. Add almonds and continue cooking until pita is crunchy and browned and almonds are toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and mix in sumac, chile flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.
  • ·      When ready to serve, toss spinach leaves with pita mix in a large mixing bowl. Add dates and red onion, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice and another pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.