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Turkish Spinach with Tomatoes and Rice

5.0(138)

Not every tradition allows rice during Passover; in this fragrant dish there’s just enough of it to add substance to the vegetables. Some Sephardic Jews have traditionally allowed rice during Passover, whereas many Ashkenazi Jews do not. There isn’t much of it in this Turkish spinach dish, adapted from a recipe in Clifford A. Wright’s “A Mediterranean Feast,” just enough to add substance to the vegetables.

by Martha Rose Shulman

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TurkishDinner, Weeknight, Vegetables, Appetizer

Servings

(4–6)

Total time

50 min

Calories / serving

109 kcal

Ingredients (11)

serves

2 pounds spinach, stemmed and washed in 2 changes water, or 1 pound baby spinachspinach
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilextra-virgin-olive-oil
2 garlic cloves, mincedgarlic
1 can diced tomatoes in juice or, in season, 1 1/4 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and choppedtomato
1 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock, garlic broth or waterchicken-stock
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
3 tablespoons long grain or basmati rice, rinsed in several changes of water, or 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Salt to tastesalt
2 teaspoons paprikapaprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamoncinnamon
3/4 to 1 teaspoon sugar (to taste)

Instructions (3 steps)

01Wash the spinach and, working in batches if necessary, steam for about 2 minutes above an inch of boiling water, just until wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
02Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet or casserole and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until it begins to sizzle and smell fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add the stock or water, the lemon juice, rice, salt, paprika, cinnamon, sugar and steamed spinach and bring to a simmer.