Spanakorizo – Greek Spinach Rice

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Spanakorizo - Greek Spinach Rice

Serves: 4-6 as a side dish | Time: 1 hour

Greek Spinach Rice makes use of the wonderfully sweet overwintered spinach we have available for the final Winter CSA box. It is an excellent risotto-like side dish to fish, lamb, or Greek-style meatballs packed with mint, parsley, and oregano. I topped mine with Greek yogurt sauce, and you could also garnish it with Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup good extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 large red onion, finely chopped (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3/4 cup medium grain rice (Arborio works)
  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, warmed
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions and about a teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
  2. Lower heat to medium-low. Add the spinach and garlic and sauté until wilted and some of the moisture has evaporated, approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the dill, rice, and a generous pinch of black pepper. Stir to coat, and cook until the rice has absorbed some of the remaining moisture.
  4. Add 1 cup of the broth. Stir, cover, and cook over medium-low heat. Check the rice a few times while it’s cooking and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. If it seems too dry add another 1/4 cup of the warmed broth and stir it in.
  5. Remove from heat once the rice is nearly tender—it can still have a little bite to it. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir, cover, and allow to continue steaming for about 10 minutes so the rice finishes cooking and the flavors combine.
  6. Fluff. Serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil for good measure.

Note: I used more salt than I had originally expected in this dish. You can be generous with the salt depending on how salty your broth is while still allowing that wonderful overwintered sweetness to shine through!