This dish cheerfully sits under the category of “waste not, want not”.

Next time you buy long leaf spinach, the ones with the pink-tipped stems still attached, rather than throwing them in the bin, trim them to a thumb’s length, rinse thoroughly under cold water and slice in half length-wise. See photos above. 

In Italy they call these shoots testine di spinaci and are a speciality of the Veneto region. Here’s my take on this recipe:

Take around 6 large, cleaned spinach shoots (as above) and place in a small pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and throw in 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped. Place on a medium heat and cover. Toss occasionally. You shouldn’t need to add any water as the spinach shoots will extract quite a bit of water into the braising liquid. Once well-softened, but still retaining their vibrant colour transfer the shoots to a serving dish. Season with sea salt and pepper and add a final drizzle of olive oil.