Beef spinach salad with honey mustard vinaigrette sauce

The dark green large-leaved spinach (usually from China) tastes great raw - just discard the fibrous stems first.

Ask for spinach at the wet market by their local names, bayam or yin choy.

Cook up a big batch of spinach by blanching in hot water. To remove the excess water, squeeze cooled spinach with your hands or between two dinner plates. Freeze what's left for future use.

Spinach grows in sandy soil so wash it thoroughly to remove all traces of sand and grit.


Spinach - Part 1.

Try a warm salad for a change.

Ingredients (serves 4):
100g spinach leaves
Olive oil
150g beef tenderloin, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 red bell pepper, cubed
1 tsp roasted almonds, chopped
1 tsp white sesame seeds

Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp English msutard
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tbsp steak sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp water

Method:
1. Blanch spinach leaves in salted hot water for 2 minutes, strain and rinse with cold water.
2. Heat some olive oil on high heat and saute beef for 2 minutes or until just cooked. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add more olive oil, and saute onions and red peppers until they caramelise. Remove from heat.
4. Mix the sauce ingredients and toss in the almonds and sesame seeds.
5. Pile spinach on a plate, top with beef, then the caramelised onions and peppers. Drizzle with sauce and serve immediately.

Tips:
To chop almonds easily, put in a plastic bag and whack with wooden spoon.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Nov 2007)