SPANAKORIZO

Ingredients

For the Spanakorizo

  • 1 large brown onion, diced

  • 1 leek, outer leaves removed, quartered lengthways and finely sliced

  • 10.5 oz / 300 g spinach, washed and roughly chopped

  • ¼ cup / 15 g fresh dill, finely chopped

  • ¼ cup / 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped

  • ¼ cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup / 200 g basmati or long-grain rice, rinsed until water runs clear and drained

  • 2.75 cups / 650 ml hot vegetable or chicken stock

  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For Serving

  • Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

  • Fresh lemon juice

  • 5.3 oz / 150 g feta, crumbled

Additional Notes

Consistency: From what I understand, spanakorizo is meant to be moist and slightly soupy — that's authentic. Personally, I think I'd prefer it drier, but I also don't think I executed it perfectly, so I can't fully blame the dish. The spinach released a lot of water which contributed to it being wetter than expected. Greeks, feel free to weigh in and teach me.

Feta: The feta is what really brought this together for me. Without it I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much — don't skip it.

Stock: I used chicken stock but the recipe calls for vegetable stock — either works.

Method

1. Sauté the Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.

2. Wilt the Spinach: Add the chopped spinach and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted and reduced.

3. Add the Rice & Herbs: Add the rice, dill, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper and stir until well combined. Pour in the hot stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Cook the Rice: Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the rice is tender. Avoid stirring while the rice cooks. The finished spanakorizo should remain moist and slightly juicy.

5. Rest: Remove from heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Gently fluff with a fork. If it has absorbed more liquid than you'd like, stir in a small splash of hot stock to loosen.

6. Serve: Spoon into shallow bowls. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and crumbled feta. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.