Lahanorizo, just like spanakorizo, is made with rice. They’re both easy to make, delicious, and highly nutritious. Lahanorizo uses cabbage, spanakorizo uses spinach. I enjoy these dishes all year round, and you can accompany them with anything. Fries (‘chips’ in the UK!), omelettes, tyropitakia (cheese pastries), biftekia (baked burgers) or keftedakia (fried meatballs) work well. Or, you can just enjoy them with a bit of feta cheese, olives, and some fresh crusty bread.
I use karolina rice, which is a white long-grain rice variety used in Greece for gemista and risotto. If you don’t have access to this variety, just use any white rice you use for risotto in your country.
I add curry powder or turmeric in this stew, for the taste and the added health benefits. These spices are not used traditionally in Greek cooking. It’s my own preference to use them and they work wonderfully.
INGREDIENTS (serves 2)
1 cup of rice (karolina or any other white rice you use for risotto)
1/4 of a large white cabbage
1 medium red onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
6-8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of curry powder or turmeric (optional)
3-4 sprigs of parsley (chopped)
Fresh lemon juice (have 1 lemon handy and taste the meal at the end to decide how much to use)
PREPARATION
Remove the stalk of the cabbage and the outer leaves. Take one quarter of it and put it in a bowl with water. Add a splash of vinegar (for its antibacterial properties). Soak it for a bit. Cut it in thick slices, then in large cubes.
Fill your kettle with hot water and have it at the ready.
Hot tip: The rest of the cabbage makes a wonderful salad for your other meals! Shred a small piece into strips and shred a carrot into strips too. Add salt, olive oil and plenty of fresh lemon juice. These will make the mix lose volume considerably, and that’s normal. Mix well with your hands or two forks and serve. It’s fantastic and full of nutrients!
Put oil in a saucepan (as much as you would use for a tomato sauce when cooking pasta!). Fry the onion and the garlic in medium heat and stir until the onion becomes transparent. At this point, add the curry powder or the turmeric (if using), and give it a stir.
Add the cabbage, salt, pepper, and some water from the kettle, just enough for the contents to boil comfortably.
Note: For a richer taste, add chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of warm water.
Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Check occasionally and stir.
When the cabbage is soft, add the rice and more hot water. Cover and simmer for another 10-20 minutes (until the rice is soft). Keep checking and add hot water from the kettle as needed.
Taste it and add seasoning, if needed. Add chopped parsley and fresh lemon juice (I use half a lemon, sometimes more. Taste and decide for yourself how zingy you want it!)
Do you eat meat? Serving suggestion for you: with olives, feta, and a bifteki. KALI OREXI! (note: the red bits you can see are red pepper – just to make the dish more colourful!)
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