Greek Spanakorizo

 
 

This recipe comes from the Greek island of Ikaria, known as the island of longevity, where 1/3 of residents live over the age of 90. It is an island where wild greens are abundant, vegetable packed meals are common and a lot of EVOO is consumed daily.

We love this recipe because it’s quick & easy and works as a great meat free meal or as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 large red or brown onion

  • 1/4 cup of Olea of Monemvasia EVOO

  • 2.5 cups of greens (kale, spinach, parsley, dill, etc - to make the dish more flavourful, add more herbs - 2 cups of greens, 1/2 cup of herbs)

  • 3/4 cup of basmati rice

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • 1.5 cups of stock (vegetable or chicken - we also use chicken bone broth for extra health benefits)

  • 1 small medium lemon

  • Salt & Pepper

  • Feta to crumble on top

Method: You will need to use a medium size pot with a lid for this recipe. It is also a lot of greens so make sure you’ve got enough. Usually a big bunch of kale and a couple of bunches of herbs. The greens shrink down to a much smaller amount once cooked. *if you’ve only got a large lemon, use half the zest and half the juice and test the flavour before adding more.

Cut the onions into a small dice then add to the pot with 1/2 the olive oil, salt and pepper. Sweat down until they are clear then add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 mins.

In the meantime, cut up the greens in ribbons ready to be added to the pot.

Add the greens and cook down for about 3 mins or until wilted before adding the remaining oil, then the rice.

Continue mixing around until the rice and greens are combined and well-covered in a layer of oil. (About another 1 min)

Add the oregano and the stock to the pot and mix well. Grate the zest of the lemon over the contents and mix in. Make sure no rice is stuck to the side of the pot (all rice should be under stock) and put the lid on and reduce the temperature to low.

Cook on low with the lid on for 15 mins then turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit and puff for another 10 - 15 mins.

Before serving, add the juice of the lemon and mix through. Test the flavour as you may want to add more salt and pepper but be careful not to add too much if you are adding feta as a garnish.

Serve hot with feta & extra herbs on top.

RecipesLou Wilson