Moroccan Spinach Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup of mixed cured green olives and red olives
• 1 pound (450 grams) Spinach (or mallow)
• 3/4 cup of mixed finely chopped cilantro and flat-leaf parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Step 1: Preparing the Ingredients
   1. Slice the cured olives into small pieces. We are using green and red olives in this recipe, but feel free to use either one, or no olives at all if you dont like them. These are cured olives, which means they are salty. Therefore we are going to place the green olives in boiling water for a few minutes to remove some of their saltiness and acidity (the red ones dont require this step). 
   2. Usually, in Morocco we use Mallow or what we call Bakkoula for this kind of recipe, but today we are making it with Spinach! Place the spinach in water for 10 minutes to soften then wash it well. Drain the spinach and roughly chop. If using mallow, you’ll have to steam it first before cooking it. 
   3. Now finely chop the parsley and cilantro.
2. Step 2: Cooking the Spinach
   1. Crush the garlic and place it in your cooking pan. Add salt, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Of course adjust the spices to your taste. Add olive oil and the rest of the ingredients: the chopped olives, cilantro, parsley, and spinach. 
   2. Cover the pan and cook all the ingredient on medium heat. Mix the ingredients often to avoid burning. 
   3. Cook for around 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated. 
   4. Serve warm or at room temperature along with crusty bread and decorate with slices of preserved lemons. Bon Appetit!