Spanakorizo, Greek Spinach and Rice
Spanakorizo is the plainest kind of Greek home cooking, spinach and rice cooked into one soft, green pot when the greens are cheap and abundant. Where its cousin prasorizo leans on leeks and a little tomato, this one stays white and lets the spinach and a heavy hand of dill carry it, finished with enough lemon to wake the whole thing up. The technique that matters is the slow sweat at the start, which builds sweetness without browning, and the restraint to add the lemon and fresh herbs only at the end. Short-grain brown rice takes longer than the white rice a Greek cook would reach for, but it holds together and keeps its fiber. Serve it warm or at room temperature, with an extra wedge of lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Spinach, washed, roughly chopped
- 1 cup short grain brown rice
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 4 wholes Scallions, sliced, whites and greens kept apart
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion and the scallion whites in a wide pot with 1/3 cup (80 ml) water, covered, over medium-low heat until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes. Add a splash more water if the pot dries out. Building the base in water rather than oil keeps the onions pale and gentle so the dish tastes green, not fried.
- Stir in the garlic and the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring, so the grains warm through and take on the onion. Short-grain brown rice keeps its bran and turns creamy at the edges as it cooks, where white rice would give that bran up and go to mush.
- Add the spinach in handfuls, letting each batch wilt before the next goes in. It looks like far too much and collapses to almost nothing, which is why a whole pound is not a mistake.
- Pour in the bouillon and 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) water, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook low for 35 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is gone. Keep the lid on; the trapped steam is what cooks the grain evenly without any oil to carry the heat.
- Off the heat, fold in the dill, parsley, scallion greens, lemon juice, and black pepper, then let it stand 5 minutes. The dill and lemon are what make it read as Greek, and the acid does the lifting that salt would, so add the lemon last where its brightness survives.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 250 calories, 8 g protein, 6 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
