Spinach-Rice Salad

This summery dish is bright and fresh and pairs well with wine and/or fresh fruit. Tonight we followed it with sweet-tart, pink, and fluffy Bavarian Raspberry Cream. 

Spinach-Rice Salad

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely minced
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped ham
• 6-8 cups torn spinach (about 6 oz.)
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• cracked black pepper

Cook in a small saucepan:

• 1 cup rice*
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• (OR 2 cups of water + 1 tsp. chicken bouillon)

While the rice simmers, heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion till tender. Add garlic, oregano, ham, and lemon juice and heat through.

When the rice is done, stir it into the onion mixture and stir till the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Toss the spinach with the hot rice, a handful at a time. I find that it helps to "fold" the spinach in, as if it were egg whites. It doesn't look like the pan will hold it all, but the spinach will wilt and make room for more. When all the spinach is mixed in, sprinkle liberally with cracked black pepper and top it off with the crumbled feta cheese.

Yield: about 6 adult main-dish servings.


*As wonderful as brown rice is, I prefer a light white or jasmine rice for this dish because it allows all the flavors to shine through. If you try brown rice, you may want to bump up the seasonings.

Variations:
The original recipe called for mushrooms, but I've never used them here.
Friends have told me they satisfactorily substituted cooked chicken for the ham.
How would you adapt this recipe? Leave a comment and let me know!