Lemony Spinach Rice with Dill and Crispy Leeks

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A soupy-creamy Greek spinach rice where two pounds of fresh spinach collapse into short-grain rice with olive oil, scallions, and a mountain of dill. Finished with lemon juice off the heat so it stays bright green and tangy, then piled with frizzled leeks for crunch. Nothing but plants, and it eats like a full dinner from one pot.

Ingredients

• 1 medium leek, white and pale green part only
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 8)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup short- or medium-grain white rice (Arborio or Carolina)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 20 ounces fresh spinach, thick stems trimmed
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the crispy leeks first: halve the leek lengthwise, rinse well between the layers, then slice into thin 2-inch shreds and pat completely dry on a towel. Combine the leek shreds and 1/3 cup olive oil in a small skillet, set over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 12 minutes, until the shreds are pale gold and the bubbling slows. Drain on a paper towel, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and reserve the leek-flavored oil for drizzling.
2. Wash the spinach and shake off most of the water, leaving it a little damp; it will wilt down dramatically, so don't worry about the volume. Chop it coarsely into ribbons.
3. In a wide 5- to 6-quart pot, warm 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 6 to 7 minutes until soft and glossy but not browned. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 45 seconds more, until fragrant.
4. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute so every grain is coated in oil. Pour in the vegetable broth and water, add 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Pile in the chopped spinach in three or four additions, stirring each batch down as it collapses; this takes about 3 minutes total. Once it all fits, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point, until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick and spoonable — loose like a risotto, not dry.
6. Kill the heat. Stir in the dill, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper. Cover and let stand off the heat for 10 minutes so the herbs perfume the rice and the texture settles.
7. Taste and adjust with more salt and lemon juice. Spoon into shallow bowls, drizzle with the reserved leek oil, crown with the crispy leeks, and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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