Spinach Pilau Recipes

SPINACH-FETA RICE PILAF, SLICED STEAK WITH OREGANO SAUCE, AND BROILED TOMATOES WITH PARSLEY

Steps:

• For the rice: Heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a saucepot with tight fitting lid. To the melted butter, add the orzo and lightly toast. Add the onion and cook to soften, 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and 1 1/2 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Preheat the broiler.
• For the beef: Heat a cast iron griddle or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat flank steaks in extra-virgin olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. When the grill is very hot, cook the meat 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare or 15 minutes for medium, turning occasionally. When the meat has been cooking for about 5 minutes, start the sauce in a small saucepot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, shallot, chile pepper, and oregano. Stir 2 to 3 minutes, and then add the butter. When the butter melts, stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat.
• For the rice: Add the remaining splash of stock along with the spinach to a food processor and process to a fine chop. Stir the spinach into the rice and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cover, turn off the heat, and let stand 2 more minutes. Fluff the rice with fork and stir in the feta.
• For the tomatoes: Season halved tomatoes with salt and pepper and top with parsley. Drizzle the tomatoes liberally with extra-virgin olive oil and broil 3 to 4 minutes. Allow the meat to rest a bit then very thinly slice against the grain. Serve the sliced steak with a side of rice, a spoon of sauce over top, and a 2 tomato halves per person.;

SPICY QUINOA AND SPINACH PULAO (PILAF)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add garlic, ground cumin, coriander, chile powder, ginger, chile pepper, pav bhaji masala, and turmeric; saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until the tomato smell goes away. Mix in spinach; cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour water and quinoa into the wok. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed, 8 to 12 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.

QUINOA AND SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add quinoa to onion mixture; cook and stir for about 1 minute more.
• Pour water over quinoa mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover saucepan, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Stir spinach and lemon zest into quinoa mixture; season with salt and pepper.

QUINOA-AND-SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add quinoa and cook 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and lemon zest, then season with salt and pepper.

SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute spinach with salt just until leaves are wilted. Drain off excess liquid; reserve spinach.
• Wipe out skillet and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add cumin, cardamom, coriander and turmeric and stir to combine. Add cooked rice, tomatoes and reserved spinach and cook, stirring gently to combine, just until the rice is warmed through.

SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onions until lightly browned. Reduce heat, add ground spices, and stir briefly. Add cooked rice. Cook just enough to heat rice through, stirring well to combine.
• Melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute spinach with salt just until leaves are wilted. Toss into hot rice and onion mixture and serve immediately.

SPINACH RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Trim the stem end off the onion. Leave the root end in tact to hold the layers of the onion together. Cut the onion in half lengthwise and remove the peel. Working with one-​​half of the onion at a time, make horizontal cuts into the onion before making vertical and then crosswise cuts to finely chop the onion, using the root end as a sort of a handle. Set the onion aside.
• Peel and mince the garlic. Set aside.
• Pick over and trim the spinach. Rinse it clean , spin or pat it dry. You really want the spinach dried off to avoid having to cook off the water later. Cut the leaves into thin ribbons. Set aside.
• In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic to the onion and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are wilted and any liquid that has cooked out of the spinach has evaporated, about 4 minutes. If there's a lot of liquid, turn up the heat and boil it off.
• Add the rice and stir to coat it and make sure it's as well-combined with the spinach and onions as possible. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the dill, if you like. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Without removing the cover, remove the pot from the heat and let sit 5 minutes.
• Remove the cover. Fluff the pilaf with a fork. Stir in the pepper, if you like. Serve the pilaf hot or warm.

SPINACH & PEA PILAU

Steps:

• Thoroughly rinse the rice in a bowl or sieve with several changes of water until the water runs clear. Drain well. Heat a large pan on the stove, tip in the spices, then dry-fry for about 1 min until they are toasted (not burnt) and beginning to release their aromas. Tip the rice into the pan, stir well over the heat, then pour in 4 mugs of water and add 1 tsp salt.
• Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 8 mins until the rice is almost tender and the water has been absorbed. Stir in the spinach and peas, then cover and leave for 2 mins so the peas defrost and the spinach just wilts.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM & LEMON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Cook the onion and garlic in the butter in a large shallow pan until soft and golden.
• Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the rice, lemon zest and stock. Cover.
• Cook on a gentle heat for about 15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir through the spinach and lemon juice, cover for 2 minutes until wilted and serve.