I have changed it very slightly, and it has become part of our family’s permanent repertoire, one of our favorite casseroles. The name briani or briami, probably comes from the Persian biryan, which is also the ancestor of the more well-known Indian biryani. In the traditional Greek briami there is no rice, just a medley of summer vegetables baked in the oven.

Maria Kaneva in her book The Melting Pot: Balkan Food and Cookery, describes a baked rice, potato, and tomato piryan —the Bulgarian name— and writes that there are many versions of the dish, which can be traced to the Balkans in the Middle Ages. The Albanian version is much more interesting for me, because the rice is basically cooked in milk, and feta, along with peppers are giving it an additional flavor kick!  

My friend Stamatia Stylou, a Greek-Albanian makes yet another version of the dish, with scallions and dill, instead of peppers, and no feta, which she served on the side.  I make it often following her recipe, which I included in my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts. Our friends love it as much as her young grandsons, who ask her to make it for them every time they visit. 

Both these are ‘poor-man’s’ versions, but the flavors are rich despite their humble, vegetable ingredients. When lamb, kid or chicken were available, Stamatia said that they cooked and boned the meat, mixed it with the rice, and then baked it with a combination of broth and milk.  It was customary to flavor the meat versions with chervil and green fenugreek instead of dill.

Briani was also made with chopped lamb’s liver and other innards. Stamatia’s grandmother even cooked briani with eel , whenever they happened to catch one in the local stream! The chilies in the variation are my humble addition to this dish.  I always prepare it well in advance and let it cool before serving, which allows the flavors to come together.

RECIPE: Albanian Briani: Baked Rice with Milk, Feta, Peppers, and Dill 

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I slightly adapted Tanis’ recipe, basically omitting the celery, because Costas is not fond of it. Kale is not available here, but the beets come with their greens which I used; you can alternatively add chard, kale, or any other green you like.

I simply top the wonderful soup with thick strained yogurt instead of the cream and freshly grated horseradish, which would be fantastic, if only we could get it on Kea!

In his introduction to the recipe, David Tanis talks about “…the long-gone resorts of the Catskills, in the so-called Jewish Alps. During their heyday, in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, these summer resorts hosted generations of Jewish Americans, at a time when virulent anti-Semitism prevented their admittance to non-Jewish resorts. Families would spend the whole summer in these mountains enclaves to escape the sweltering city. There were daily activities and nightly entertainment. Comedians who worked the circuit called it the Borscht Belt. And quite a lot of cold borscht was served in that era before air-conditioning.”

Serves 6

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 large leek, diced (about 1 cup)

Salt and pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

1 bay leaf

1 thyme sprig

½ pound starchy potatoes (about 6 potatoes), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

2 pounds medium beets, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

½ pound medium carrots (about 4 carrots), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

3 cups coarsely chopped beet greens, chard leaves or kale

1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaved parsley

1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar, or to taste

1/2 -1 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, to taste

Thick, full-fat yogurt (Greek) for serving

 A handful of cilantro leaved, coarsely chopped (optional)

Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat and add the onion, and leek, stir to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened. Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, caraway, bay leaf and thyme, and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the potatoes, the beets and the carrots, 6 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Simmer with lid ajar for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes, beets, and carrots are fork tender.

Add the greens, most of the parsley –keeping some for topping the soup– and vinegar and stir to distribute. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning, adding freshly ground pepper. Simmer briefly until the greens are done.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls, and garnish with parsley, and cilantro, if you like. Pass the thick yogurt at the table.

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She served the risotto topped with thin strips of braised cuttlefish, drizzled with a few drops of its deep black ink sauce. The seafood was excellent, but the fragrant, fruity rice was the real revelation to me.

Scroll down to see the impressive ‘red risotto’ a variation using beet stems and leaves. 

Adapted from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts

I didn’t get Sammut’s recipe, just a description, so this is my own rendition of the dish: a simple greens, garlic, herb, and lime risotto that I make often, using any leafy winter or spring greens, and all or some of the herbs on the list, whatever my garden provides. When I don’t have fresh herbs I use the ones I often freeze; unfortunately even good dried herbs will not give the same rich result.

I conclude by folding-in grated Parmesan, which brings out the flavors of the herbs, and very often top the risotto with a 7-minute cooked egg; the deeply-flavored ones from our neighbor’s hens.

You can also serve along with Baked or roasted Fish, or complement the risotto with grilled Halloumi.

Serves 4-6 as main course; 6-8 as a side dish

About 1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions

1 cup scallions, thinly sliced –white and most green part

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 good bunch broccoletti (broccoli rabe) or spinach leaves (not baby spinach); stems separated, and finely chopped and leaves shredded (see Variation with beet stems and leaves)

2 cups Arborio rice or other good-quality medium grain rice

1/2 cup white wine

Salt

About 8 cups very hot vegetable or chicken broth, see note

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley –leaves and tender stems

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano or thyme

½ – 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, to taste

2-3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, or more, to taste

1/2 cup Parmesan, Grana Padano or aged Graviera, plus more for the table

Good olive oil for drizzling

1 lemon or lime, quartered.

Warm the olive oil and sauté the onions for about 8 minutes, on medium-low, tossing often. Add the garlic and scallions and toss a few times then add the stems from the greens and the rice, increase the heat to medium-high and sauté another 3-4 minutes, until the rice is shiny and sizzling.

Pour in the wine, add salt and cook, stirring for 30 seconds or so, until the wine evaporates.  Pour in 1 cup of hot broth and cook, stirring frequently. Add broth by the ladle, as the rice absorbs the liquid, until it is almost cooked, about 15 minutes.

Fold in the herbs and cook another 4-5 minutes, until the rice is al dente.

Remove from the heat. Add pepper and lemon juice, fold in the cheese and taste to correct the seasoning, finishing with a drizzle of good olive oil and some finely grated lemon zest, if you like.  

Serve immediately with lime or lemon quarters, adding an 7-minute cooked egg to each plate, if you like.

NOTE:

Instead of vegetable broth, soak 1/2 cup dried Porcini mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes.  Chop them finely with scissors and add to the rice with their strained liquid, after the wine has evaporated. Cook the risotto as described, adding boiling water in place of stock as needed. 

VARIATION

Beet Stem and Leaves’ Risotto 

Substitute a good bunch –about 1 1/2 pounds– beet stems and leaves for the broccoletti or other greens

Omit the turmeric

Add more dill –about 2/3 cup– and omit the basil

Proceed to make the risotto as described above. Instead of white wine, you can use rose or a light red.

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They are an almost guilt-free snack, and Costas eats them with his coffee in the morning or after lunch; I often serve them with all kinds of salads and spreads as part of the meze; they complement ideally all kinds of apetizers, like Tarama or Smoked Herring spread, Tyrokafteri, and also the festive Liver Pate with Pistachios.

Makes enough biscotti to fill TWO 3-quart jars

1 cup sunflower seeds

2 teaspoons dry Greek oregano, or fresh thyme or rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons coarsely ground coriander seeds

2 tablespoons ground anise seeds

3 cups bread flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 cup rye flour

2 packages instant dry yeast (1/2 ounce)

2 teaspoons salt

1/2-1 teaspoon ground black pepper –I like them peppery, so I add 1 teaspoon

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup thick Greek-type ful-fat yogurt

About 3 cups, as needed, greens’ pulp (see Note) mashed in the blender with water to the consistency of heavy cream

In a food processor grind the sunflower seeds together with the oregano, thyme or rosemary, to get a fine paste.

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine the ground sunflower seeds, coriander and anise seeds with the flours, the yeast, the salt and the pepper, and pulse a few times to blend.

Take out the bowl, make a well in the center of the flours and add the olive oil and the yogurt. Work mixture for 30 seconds then with the motor running slowly add enough greens pulp to form a soft dough. Process on medium-low for 5 minutes or until the dough forms a ball that ‘cleans’ the sides of the bowl.

Oil a large bowl and a piece of plastic wrap. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, cover with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 4 pieces. Form each piece into a 13-inch-long baguette and transfer to the baking sheet. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 40 minutes.

At least 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the breads start to color. Carefully, because the baguettes could break, transfer to a rack, cover with a clean tea-towel and let rest for 12-24 hours.

With a good serrated knife cut the baguettes into about ¼-inch slices and arrange in rows, on oven racks or baking sheets, overlapping if necessary. Turn the oven to 180˚- 190°F and bake the slices for about 2 hours or more, rotating the racks halfway through, until the biscotti are completely dry.

Let cool in the oven, with the door open, and when completely cool store in airtight containers.

They keep for 3 months or more.

NOTE:
Use any combination of sweet greens: chard, outer leaves of lettuce, spinach, flat-leaf parsley, beet greens etc. together with a bunch of dill. Blanch the leaves and dil in boiling water until tender, then drain and pulse in the blender, adding some of the cooking liquid to get a smooth pulp with the consistency of heavy cream.

If you use nettles, prepare as I describe in my nettle soup.

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