Spinach with Lemon, Garlic and Almonds [ spinaci al limone e mandorle ]

SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH

• 250g spinach leaves (weight without hard stems)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of ¼ to ½ a lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 25g butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons blanched almonds, coarsely chopped

In our supermarkets we get very young spinach with very thin small stems – these you do not need to take off. Wash the leaves and drain well. In a large saucepan heat the garlic in 1 tablespoon of the oil, stirring until the aroma rises, then put in the spinach with only the water that clings to the leaves. (If you have bought them in a bag ready washed, pour about 5– 6 tablespoons of water in the pan.)

Put over high heat with the lid on until the water begins to boil then lower the heat and steam for about 2– 3 minutes, until the leaves wilt.

Add a good squeeze of lemon, the butter, cut into pieces, and some salt and pepper and stir well until the butter melts.

In a small frying pan, sauté the almonds in the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Serve the spinach hot, sprinkled with the almonds.

Black and White Macerated Grapes

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL bowl of fruit. The purple spheres of the black grapes are divided in half and seeded, and the seedless elongated ovals of the white grapes are left whole. Macerated with orange juice and lemon peel, their fragrance and freshness are irresistible.

• For 6 to 8 servings
• 1 pound seedless white grapes
• 1 pound large black grapes, not the pale purple seedless ones
• The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• The freshly squeezed juice of 3 oranges

1. Detach all the grape berries from their stems and wash them in cold water. Put only the white ones into a serving bowl.

2. You must halve the black grapes to extract their seeds. (Seedless red grapes are very bland and are not recommended for this dish.) Hold each berry with the stem end facing up. Use a sharp paring knife, or preferably a small vegetable knife with a serrated blade, to cut the berry horizontally around its middle, cutting it all around, but not all the way through. With your fingertips, hold the upper half of the grape, and with your other hand twist off the bottom half. From the exposed center of one of the halves seeds will protrude; pick them out, and add both halves of the seeded berry to the bowl. Repeat the procedure until all the black grapes are done.