Spinach with Garlic...with eggplants! and an award :)

I got an award. This is almost unbelievable. Thanks to  Rebecca of Chow and Chatter for giving it to me. And to all of you who encourage me so much :) Life wouldn't be the same without all of you!

I was so happy yesterday with the news, that I decided to make something. Turned out I could not think really well..so had to revert back to a tried-and-tasted-recipe. But..make no mistake. It is one of my very best! And I am sure, all of you like some variant or the other of this. It is a gourmet appetizer. It has featured on n number of shows. It is nothing else but garlic spinach!! Who does not like it? But..here is the thing with mine. It features an extra something..take a guess?

None coming?..:) :)

EggPlants!! my favorite. Actually, my mom used to make this very delectable dish from a particular variety of leafy green, found in West Bengal and eggplants. The green is called 'Kalmi'. Kind of like baby spinach but a bit more spicy. It is commonly used as a delectable leafy green in side dishes, mostly vegetarian in west bengal. But also as stuffing and for flavoring up breads. Sometimes in gourmet samosas too :)

Sometime back..I don't know quite why, I decided to combine both. Make garlic spinach..with eggplants. It turned out super good. And since then, the saga is on :) Takes literally 10 minutes to make and it is always a hit with anyone I have had the pleasure of serving. It also serves as a quickie veggie for dinner. And how good is spinach as a source of Iron. The very best.

So here it is...your 10 minutes to stardom :) :) :)

Ingredients

A few big handfuls of good quality baby spinach

4-5 cloves of garlic. Mash em. Go easy if it is too much. You can also substitute with ginger ( half a tsp). But then we will have to re name that dish :)

3 tbsp of good quality of extra virgin olive oil

1 Medium size eggplant cut into bite size chunks

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Almonds for garnish (optional)

Our time starts now!

In a deep non stick skillet, heat the oil. Once oil is hot, reduce heat and add the mashed garlic cloves. Saute for a minute or garlic browns up slightly. Add the eggplants, saute and cover. This allows for the eggplants to quickly cook through in very less oil. Keep checking and sauting to prevent burning of the eggplants. Do this for ~ 7-minutes. Once eggplant is cooked through, add the spinach. Saute for 1 minute. No longer. Longer for make the greens look less crunchy and dry the sauce. So if you want that effect, by all means, go for another couple. But I like it a bit saucy :) Add the nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Take it off the stove.

10 minutes and you are done!! You were keeping time..weren't you ? :) :)

Serve with anything. I like to have it with good red wine.

How good is the fusion..eggplants with baby spinach and garlic and olive oil. And the best thing is ..everybody goes.."hmmm this tastes familiar..but..."

Happy eating and healthy living! how colorful is this!!