RICE PILAF, GREEK STYLE (Pilafi - Πιλάφι), VEGAN.

I love this rice dish!  It is a pilaf (pilafi in Greek), meaning it's cooked in broth and has vegetables mixed into it. Various versions of pilafs are popular in the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and, of course, Greece. I bet once upon a time there was an original recipe that got carried by seafarers from one Mediterranean port to another. People adapted this recipe to suit their particular tastes and as a result, we now have lots of rice pilaf variations. As far as I am concerned, they are all great. I never say no to rice! I find this to be ironic because up until the age of twenty or so I wouldn't go anywhere near any type of rice whatsoever! It's curious how tastes and taste buds tend to change throughout one's lifespan. 

Greeks have a plain version of pilaf made with broth, butter, and a few herbs. Then they have this version. It can be served on its own, in which case I can have a whole plateful, or it can be served as a side dish in which case I can have two tablespoons. Correction: three tablespoons. Additionally, this rice pilaf makes a good stuffing. Come autumn, go ahead and stuff a nice squash with it! Here's how to make Greek rice pilaf:

Ingredients: 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, chopped
• 4 mushrooms sliced
• 5 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped 
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, roasted
• 3 cups of vegetable broth that has been brought to the boil
• 1  1/2 cups of rice (raw, white -- I like to use long grain or basmati rice for this recipe)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• a small handful of peeled and roasted almonds for decoration

Directions:

• If your raisins are really dry, place them in water to cover and let them stay in the water until they plump up and soften.
• Place the almonds and pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven until they are aromatic and golden in colour. Remove them from the oven, let them cool and reserve.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent.  
• Add the garlic, parsley, dill, lettuce, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the rice, raisins, and pine nuts. Mix well. 
• Add the broth and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for about twenty minutes, until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and moist.  
• Let the rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes. It will absorb any liquid that is leftover. The end result should be rice that glistens and is moist. It shouldn't be dry or runny/mushy.  
• Place on a serving platter and decorate the top with roasted almonds.

Serve and enjoy!

CABBAGE AND RICE PILAF, FROM THRACE (LAHANORIZO)

Cabbage, the super vegetable! Cabbage is very low in calories - 35 calories for one cup. It's a good source of protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and fibre. It contains nutrients with anti-cancer properties, something cabbage has in common with the other vegetables in the cruciferae family to which it belongs. "Cruciferous" plants are so named because they bear four-petaled flowers, thus having blooms reminiscent of a crucifix. Some of the other vegetables in this family include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprout, turnip, radish, rapeseed (from which canola oil is processed), watercress, etc, etc, all of them with nutrients similar to those of cabbage, and all of them good for you.

At home, we remember the cabbage dishes grandmother used to make. She was a native of Thrace, a province in South-Eastern Europe, a region where cabbage and sauerkraut are popular cooking ingredients. 

Below is one of grandmother's recipes for cabbage: it's tasty and it's good winter fare. Sometimes this dish was served on its own, other times it accompanied roast chicken. I can still picture it in its serving platter in the middle of the table! 

Lahanorizo (cabbage and rice):

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 head of cabbage, shredded
1 lb canned tomatoes, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup rice
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a Dutch oven heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
• Add the cabbage and continue to saute, stirring frequently until the cabbage softens, about five minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and broth and mix. Bring to a boil.
• Add the rice, raisins, almonds, pine nuts, and salt and pepper. 
• Stir, and let simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Make sure the rice does not dry out.
• Place in a serving bowl, toss, then serve.