Lou's Most Excellent Spinach Apple Pie

What fun is spinach? It’s boring and your mother used to make you eat it. But what if you could make it taste good?

I’m not saying your kids are gonna eat this, but I certainly would’ve given this a shot if my mommy put it on the table………maybe.

I still, for the most part, hate vegetables. I know I have to eat them and dousing them with Cheeze-Whiz and cream isn't the right way to do it. But I'm trying.

11oz baby spinach, cleaned and drained
1 sweet apple, such as a Braeburn or Fuji, sliced in 1/8 inch pieces
¼ medium sweet/Vidalia onion, sliced paper thin
1 head of fennel, thinly shaved
2 TBS Zante currants soaked in 2 TBS rum for 15 minutes
¼ cup plain bread crumbs (fresh, coarse cut preferred)
Juice of one Clementine (or ½ an orange)
Balsamic vinegar
Unsalted butter
Salt

Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water. Drain, quickly cool under cold water. When cooled squeeze excess water out and set aside.

In a medium non-stick skillet add 2 TBS of butter over medium heat. When butter melts add the apples, onion, fennel, currants + rum, ½ TSP balsamic vinegar, ½ of the Clementine juice and a big pinch of salt. Sweat the mixture until the apples turn tender and floppy, about 8 minutes.

Toss in the spinach and mix well. Move the mixture to the center of the pan into a pile and toss on the bread crumbs. Pour remaining Clementine juice over this and simmer over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes.

Quickly mix the whole thing together and serve immediately.