Baby Spinach Salad With Dates & Almonds - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or try malt or cider vinegar)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 1/2 ounces pitted medjool dates, quartered lengthwise (100g)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30g)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small pita bread, roughly torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped (75g)
2 teaspoons sumac
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 ounces baby spinach leaves (150g)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt

Preparation

Put the vinegar, onion, and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix well with your hands. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain away any residual vinegar and discard.
Meanwhile, heat the butter and half of the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the pita and almonds and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring all of the time, until the pita is crunchy and golden brown. Remove from the heat and mix in the sumac, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.
When you are ready to serve, toss the spinach leaves with the pita mix in a large mixing bowl. Add the dates and red onion, the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice, and another pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
Enjoy!