Nargesi-e Esfenaj
نرگسی اسفناج·(nar-geh-see-ye es-feh-naj)
Sobhaneh & Asrooneh
Named for the daffodil—the way the brilliant egg yolks rest on a bed of dark green leaves—this is the ultimate Caspian Sea weeknight secret. You’ll find plenty of modern recipes trying to dress it up with saffron, or worse, boiling the life out of the spinach in a cup of water. Don't do that. The magic here is the grandmother’s trick: letting the greens slowly collapse in their own juices. It’s rustic, cheap, and deeply restorative food that demands nothing more than patience and a single pan.
Before you start
Retain the washing water.
When washing your spinach, do not dry it in a salad spinner. The water clinging to the leaves is the crucial element for steaming it properly without diluting its flavor.
Ingredients
- fresh flat-leaf spinach1 lb
- neutral vegetable oil3 tbsp
- yellow onions2 med
- garlic4 cloves
- ground turmeric1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- large eggs4 large
Method
- 01
Wilt the greens in their own moisture.
Place the wet, chopped spinach into a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-low heat. Add absolutely no water; the residual washing water and the greens' own juices are all you need to perfectly steam them down in about 10 to 15 minutes.
- 02
Caramelize the onions patiently.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the sliced onions, and fry them until they are deeply golden and sweet—about 10 to 12 minutes. This provides the structural sweetness that balances the earthy spinach.
- 03
Bloom the aromatics.
Drop the heat to low and stir in the minced garlic, turmeric, and black pepper. Sauté for exactly one minute, just until the garlic is fragrant but nowhere near brown.
- 04
Marry the spinach and the spiced oil.
Add the wilted spinach to the skillet, stirring well to coat the greens. Season with the kosher salt and cook for 3 minutes to meld the flavors.
- 05
Nestle the eggs to create the narcissus effect.
Use the back of a spoon to create four shallow wells in the spinach mixture and crack one egg directly into each. Do not stir. Cover the skillet and cook on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the whites are fully set but the yolks remain luxuriously runny.
Notes
The Caspian variations.
To capture the deeper Northern Iranian flavor profile, try scattering 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts over the top before serving, or stir 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses into the spinach just before adding the eggs for a tart edge.
Using baby spinach.
If you’re utilizing a clamshell of American supermarket baby spinach, skip the chopping. Keep an eye on it in the pot; it will wilt much faster, usually in just 3 to 5 minutes.
From Cook Persian in America.