Spanakoriso is a beloved vegetarian main dish in Greece, revisited here with less lemon pungency to make a comforting, risotto-like pairing for Cabernet. For those who must have meat, serve with simply grilled lamb chops.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked arborio or other medium-grain rice
- 2 bunch scallions or green onions
- 1 bunch chard
- 4 cloves garlic
- ⅓ plus ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, separated
- 1½ tsp dried mint
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup beef, chicken, or vegetable stock (or water)
- 1½ cups water
- 3 oz (2 packed cups) fresh spinach leaves
- 1 packed cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- zest from one lemon
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5-6 oz Greek feta cheese
- pinch dried oregano, or more dried mint
- salt, black pepper
- ⅓ cup Kalamata or oil-cured black olives, pits removed
Directions
Rinse the rice well, then soak in cold water while you prep the vegetables. Finely chop the scallions, both white and green parts. Slice out the ribs (stems) of the chard leaves; finely chop the ribs if they are not too stringy, and chop the leaves into 3” pieces. Crush the garlic.
In a wide skillet, heat ⅓ cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic, dried mint and chili flakes and stir to infuse the oil for two minutes, until sizzling and fragrant. Add the scallions and chard stems and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain the soaked rice and stir into the vegetables. Cook for another minute or two, then season with salt and pepper, add the stock and water and then the chard leaves on top. Bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes uncovered, then cover and turn the heat to low. Cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the flat-leaf parsley and the spinach leaves. Finely grate the lemon zest and extract the juice. Lightly season the feta cheese with black pepper and dried herbs.
When the rice and chard are tender, stir in the spinach, parsley, zest and lemon juice until the spinach has wilted. Stir in remaining ¼ cup olive oil and taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed with salt and pepper. Serve topped with olives and feta.