This recipe is inspired by pitarakia, small handheld pies enjoyed on the Greek island of Ikaria, filled with up to 20 different seasonal greens and herbs, onions, leeks, and olive oil. Diane Kochilas turned the idea into “the kind of rice dish that is so beloved both in Ikaria and throughout Greece—a comforting, soft dish silky with olive oil and sprightly with all the nutrition that so many greens and herbs impart,” she writes in “The Ikaria Way.”
The dish falls under a category of Greek dishes called ladera, “in oil“—meaning olive oil, which Ms. Kochilas calls ”the defining food of the Mediterranean diet.”
“Many of the health benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet, and, by extension, the Ikaria diet, are attributed to the health properties of olive oil,” she wrote.
She uses only extra-virgin olive oil, which better preserves the health-promoting polyphenols, or antioxidant compounds.
Serves 4 to 6
- 1 pound Swiss or rainbow chard
- 1/2 pound spinach, trimmed
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil
- 1 large leek, trimmed, washed, and finely chopped
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup long- or medium-grain rice or parboiled brown rice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups vegetable stock, or more as needed
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh chervil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- Strained juice of 1 lemon
- Feta cheese or plain Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Sauté the leek, onion, fennel, carrot, and greens stems until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the rice and stir to coat with the olive oil. Add greens in batches and stir to cook down, until all the chard and spinach have been added.
Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock. Cook over low heat, covered, until rice is very tender, about 45 minutes. Add more stock, if necessary, to keep the mixture moist and retain enough liquid for the rice to cook. The greens will let out their own liquid, too, so you have to use your judgment.
About 5 minutes before removing from heat, stir in all the fresh herbs and half the lemon juice. Stir in remaining olive oil and adjust seasoning with additional lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve, if desired, with a small lemon wedge or a little crumbled Greek feta or a few spoonfuls of plain Greek yogurt on top.
Recipe from “The Ikaria Way,” by Diane Kochilas. Copyright 2024 by the author, and reprinted with permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
