Posted by Lisa
We love Greek food in this house. A friend brought me some fresh lemons (and other citrus fruits) several weeks ago from Arizona and never having decided on a truly special dish to make with it, I’ve just been using them as I need them. Since we had greens in our CSA share, I decided to make a simple Greek lemon and oregano (dried from my garden in the fall) roasted chicken and a Greek greens and rice side dish. The dish is traditionally made with spinach and named Spanakorizo. I have made it with a variety of greens, from collard greens to turnip rapini, and have had delicious results each time. My middle daughter raved about how lemony and fresh it tasted last night and to this I can only attribute having used a supremely fresh and fragrant lemon, much more beautiful than any I’ve ever found at the store. In this particular version, I used turnip rapini and salsify greens, but use whatever you can get your hands on; it will be a little different, but still delightful. Leftovers are also delicious warmed up and sprinkled with a bit of feta for a light lunch.
Greek Greens & Rice
Greek Greens & Rice
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- at least one share’s worth of greens, if not more (at least one pound), washed, drained and chopped (you can use tender stalks too)
- 1 1/3 cups of filtered water
- 1 1/3 cups of long-grain rice
- 5 1/4 cups of filtered water
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- juice of one lemon
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion for 8 to 10 minutes until soft. Add greens and 1 1/3 cups of water and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add rice, 5 1/4 cups of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt and several fresh grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is nearly tender. Stir occasionally during this time. Add lemon juice and cook for another five minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10-20 minutes to allow flavors to marry.
