Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds

We are counting down the days; less than two weeks until we head back. Bittersweet is all I can say about this time of year. My dahlias are just starting to bloom and it looks like we are going to miss out on the artichokes again this season. At least our caretaker and his wife will enjoy the fruits of our labor. Once again I am torn between the two places that we call home. A week ago we hiked Sweet Creek Falls Trail (picture of bridge above). This was a new adventure for us, amazing how much water was still there after months of no rain. While walking I thought back on how the bridge symbolized the connection between our two different lives.

This salad was inspired by ”Jerusalem”, the cookbook. I am such a fan of all of Yotom’s recipes. I checked my site and I have eleven other recipes from him. His cooking sense and style is my favorite. One of the great things I love about cookbooks is that you can pull out the same book months or years later and find a new recipe; one that you did not pay so much attention to previously. Maybe it was a different season or you are in a different place mentally, who knows…..

This recipe has been inspired by "Jerusalem", A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
¼ of a small white onion (thinly sliced)
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon sumac
3 ounces dates (pitted and quartered)
1/3 cup sliced and roasted honey almonds (Trader Joes)
5 to 6 ounces of baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil

To prepare:

Combine vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt, sumac and mix well. Let marinate for 20 minutes. When ready to serve toss spinach, date mixture, almonds and olive oil. Serve immediately.