Fun Time
Olivitrus Cooking Ideas
Spinach with Rice (Greek name of dish is “Spanakorizo”)
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 kg spinach
1 cup of Arborio rice
¾ cup of Olixandra’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 spring onions finely chopped
1 handful of finely chopped dill (optional)
½ lemon (the juice)
Water
Coarse salt and a fresh ground pepper
Instructions
1. Clean, cutting off any roots, wash, drain and cut along the width in 2 or more smaller pieces.
2. In a deep pan, sauté the chopped spring onion in half the amount of oil.
3. Add the spinach stirring it a few times until it wilts. This will take 5-7 minutes. Add water if required.
4. Add rice and 2 ½ cups of water (and the dill if wished) and stir frequently until it starts to boil.
5. Leave to boil under low heat for approximately 15 minutes, until liquids have been absorbed. From time to time check if additional water is required.
6. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and the remaining olive oil, stir and turn off the heat.
7. Open the lid, cover the pan with a clean towel and let stand for 10 minutes.
8. Serve in bowls. Enjoy!
Did You Know?
1. An Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) must comply to all of the following:
a. it is extracted from fresh olives using a mechanical process without the use of excessive heat or any form of additives or solvents.
b. it conforms to certain chemical standards (e.g. acidity level <0.8%, peroxide index <20mEq /02Kg etc.)
c. it must conform to certain sensory properties, i.e. it must taste fruity and not have any negative attributes (e.g. muddy, fusty etc.)
2. The colour of the olive oil does not necessarily determine its quality.
3. A quote by Odysseas Elytis:“If someone decomposes Greece, he will in the end see an olive tree, a vineyard and a ship remain, which means that with as much one can re-create it.”
4. The view that the colour of the grape determines the colour of the wine is not correct. The juice of both white and dark grapes has the same light colour. A red wine is produced from dark grapes provided that during fermentation the skins of dark grapes are also added. On the other hand, a white wine can be produced from any colour of grapes provided that during fermentation the skins of dark grapes are not included.
