TRANSCRIPT Ep 20
Welcome to The Simmering Chef.
Cooking with a smidgen of anger, a pinch of crass, a dollop of irreverence, a sprinkling of science, and a handful of spice.
Hello and welcome to all my listeners! It’s already hot here at the Atelier Rorschach Culinary Studios in beautiful College Park, home of me, Janet, The Simmering Chef. I'd show you an egg cooking on my driveway, but it's too hot for that kind of tomfoolery.
Today’s letter is from Sioux City, Iowa, so let’s jump in.
Dear The Simmering Chef,
I just got back from a memorable trip to Greece, where I ate a lot of lamb and goat. Goats really interesting, yes? Sorry, I am so easily distracted when I dream about my trips.
I fell in love with one of their rice dishes, but I can’t recall its name. It was similar to an Italian risotto made with spinach but wasn’t made with risotto rice. If at all possible, I’d like to make it in my own kitchen. Would you tell me what I ate and how to make it?
Ricely yours,
Sue W.
Dear Sioux City Sue,
You now I had to do that!
First, I’ve got a little travel envy going on here. You are so lucky. My neice spent about two years in Greece, but I never made it over for a visit. One day, I will!
Thankfully, that doesn’t stop me from knowing what you are talking about. It is one of The Blue Zones' favorite dishes because combining all the ingredients gives you a truly nutritious and delicious dinner.
In Greece, the dish you are referring to is Spanakorizo (spinach rice). It’s loaded with calcium and inulin, which are great at strengthening our bones. All that olive oil combining with the spinach’s vitamin K makes it more bio-available for the body’s use in preventing blood-clotting and lowering LDL cholesterol—that’s the bad one. When you use lemon, the citric acid makes the spinach’s iron easier for the body to absorb.
Nowadays in Greece, it’s made with inexpensive long-grain rice, but way-back-when, coarse bulgar was the grain used. In the recipe below the transcript, feel free to substitute the same amount of bulgar for the rice.
The cooking method is slightly similar to risotto because you add liquid to the mix while it's cooking and stirring occasionally. However, it’s different because you aren’t constantly stirring the dish, and, of course, it uses long-grain rice instead of risotto rice.
What might be particularly enticing is that this is an inexpensive dish to make. Add an egg or keep it vegan by adding edamame to the top, and you have a complete, one-dish dinner. It’s a win-win for almost anyone.
When you make this, please buy and use quality olive oil. I cannot stress this enough. Oliviers & Co. is one of the small business olive oil companies I support. Their olive oils are from small-batch producers, and the oil you get is from last year’s harvest.
NOTE: Real olive oil is expensive, should be cold-pressed, and has a shelf-life expiration date. When you taste it, good olive oil’s flavor is grassy or floral, green and bright, with a bit of pepperiness to it. You should be able to eat a whole spoonful because it has some acidity—that’s the pepperiness—making eating a spoonful easier. Bad olive oil simply coats your tongue in greasy, rancid, bland oil.
My best advice is to buy the best you can afford, use it daily, and enjoy!
Remember, my Spankorizo recipe is at the bottom of the transcript. Please stay hydrated and safe in this heat.
As always, fail brilliantly and eat well. Thank you for listening.
This is Janet, The Simmering Chef
Today’s podcast is brought to you from the Atelier Rorschach Culinary Studios in beautiful College Park. Music is “Spinach” by Honey Hounds. Content is all my fault. Feel free to complain to the management.
SPANAKORIZO (SPINACH RICE)
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 large red onion, peeled and diced
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced, and fronds saved for the dish
3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 cup long-grain rice or coarse bulgar
8 cups chopped fresh spinach (about 1 pound), stems removed and cleaned really well. Do not shake off the water.
1 - 2 cups water
½ cup fennel fronds of fresh dill, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
The zest and juice of 2 lemons
4 fried or poached eggs or 2 cups steamed edamame
METHOD
Use a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid and a wooden spoon.
Over medium-high heat, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the red onion, shallot, and fennel bulb to the pan.
Stirring frequently, sauté until soft.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Season the onions with a bit of salt and stir in the garlic.
Wait for the garlic to bloom—about 30 seconds—before stirring in the rice.
Add the spinach, cover with the lid, and cook until it wilts and loses most of its volume.
Stir in 1 cup of water and the fennel fronds, and cover.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked and very tender. This may take about 25 to 30 minutes.
Add more water as needed if you think it needs a creamier consistency.
In the last three minutes of cooking, stir in the zest and lemon juice.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Serve in a warm bowl topped with the egg or edamame and a drizzle of your good olive oil.
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