Potato Patch Recipes
Greek Dish | Vegetarian Spinach And Feta Casserole

When preparing a Greek Dish it would probably do you a world of good to listen to the movie soundtrack to “Zorba The Greek”.  Just to get you into the mood to cook authentic Greek Food.  Except for maybe lamb, people don’t give much consideration to this splendid ethnic food.  You should keep in mind that ancient Greek food was the forerunner to a lot of recipes that we take for granted in the western world.

How To Make Spinach And Feta Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups sliced onions
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup white or brown basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup dark or golden raisins
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 2 packs (10 oz) chopped frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with their juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1 medium tomato, sliced, for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350f
2. Coat a 9×13 inch casserole with cooking spray
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
5. In a medium saucepan, heat the water to boiling and add the rice, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper, the raisins, almonds, and dried dill.  Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the water.  Stir in half of the onion and garlic mixture and set aside.
6. In the skillet,  over high heat, combine the spinach, diced tomatoes with their juice, lemon juice, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.  Stir for 3-5 minutes, until heated thoroughly.  Remove from the heat and add the cheese.  Stir in the remaining half of the onion and garlic mixture into the spinach mixture.
7. Spread out the rice, onion, and garlic mixture in the bottom of the casserole in an even layer.  Top with the spinach mixture and arrange the fresh tomatoes over the top.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and heated through.

About 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, a star from the Food Network, “Archestratos” wrote the very first cookbook.  Although that very first cookbook only contained ancient Greek food recipes it still make it on to the best seller list.  Sure it took a few months to knock of the most popular book of the time, “The Wheel:  Fad or the Future?”

But since that time Greek cooking has come a long way.  There are Greek restaurants in every major city and some people can even find Greece on a map.

So next time you are in the mood for some traditional Greek food, don’t forget this Greek Dish.  Our recipes have been time tested by the ages.

Ingredient tags: ancient greek food, greek dish, greek food, greek food recipe, traditional greek food