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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The radish seeds we planted once grew tall, with lush leaves but no radishes. ‘There was some problem with the seeds,” said our friend at the nursery when I asked him if the reason was my planting too many in a small space.

 “Take them out and throw them to the neighbor’s sheep,” he said, offering to give me new, guaranteed radish seeds. But the greens looked wonderful, tender, crunchy and somewhat spicy, so I braised them with garlic, adding slices of the delicious, smoked local sausage I got from Yiannis, the butcher at the port. I complemented the dish with some of the half-cooked wheat berries or farro (see the Note HERE) that I keep in the freezer. We loved this dish of greens and grains, flavored with pepper flakes and turmeric, and drizzled with lemon juice.

I probably will never be able to make the exact same one again, though, as I doubt that I will be able to grow this kind of mock-radish greens anytime soon. See the easy recipe for Risotto with Greens though, which you can make with spinach, chard, or with red beet stems and leaves that make an impressive deep red risotto.

This is an example of how I choose what to cook every day, looking first at the garden, then opening the cupboards, my fridge and the freezer to decide what I could use to supplement the fresh produce and create an interesting and wholesome meal.

I chop and freeze the beet stems and use them to make the bright red Beet Risotto, a Variation of my basic Risotto with Greens.

I have almost forgotten the last time I thought of a dish first, and then went to buy the necessary ingredients. I vaguely recall composing menus from scratch and writing shopping lists, many years ago, when I was in Athens and often gave formal dinner parties for fellow journalists, friends, and artists. My tiny city kitchen had almost no storage space, my fridge was small, and the freezer could hardly hold more than ice cubes.

The other day I discovered in my sizeable freezer a bag with chopped olives, leeks and fennel, leftover stuffing from eliopita (olive pie) that I had totally forgotten. It was fragrant and delicious, so I decided to make a different kind of meze: I rolled the stuffing in leftover bread dough from the spicy yellow crackers. The result was tiny bites bursting with flavor, and some larger, empanada-like pies, that were equally wonderful.

I so much enjoy my early morning walks around the garden with Neva, as I look for the best vegetables and herbs, and also the ones that we have to uproot to make room for the zucchini, the peppers and the tomatoes that are now sprouting in small covered boxes. Last week I had to take out the rest of the flowering broccoli rabe, something I should have done earlier.

It took some work to separate the very tough stems, but I ended up with enough succulent greens to make a really wholesome, creamy risotto. I used the rice grits from the Ansom Mills’ bag I brought from Washington. My dear friend, chef Michael Costa of Zaytinya told me I had to try them, and he was absolutely right!

Not that our local medium grain rice is bad, but these grits were truly exceptional. I have also brought organic rice from Istanbul, the kind my friends use to make their famous pilafs, and I will try it next.

I feel that my cooking is not far from the frugal ways of years passed. Probably my grandmother when she spent summers in this same island with my mother and her six older and younger siblings in the 1930ies, went through a very similar process as she planned each day’s meal…

RECIPES:  

Risotto with Greens and the Variation for red risotto with Beets

  also the Red Rice Risotto with Leeks, Mushrooms, Fresh Fava, and Cilantro

and the Grain Pilaf with Kale or Cabbage

Additionally check: 

Eliopita (olive pie)

 Spicy Yellow Crackers

The post With Garden Castoffs and Leftovers appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Adapted from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts.

PHOTO by Penny De Los Santos

Less known than the Italian Arborio or the Spanish Calasparra and Bomba – all medium grain rice – the red long grains of Camargue are easier to cook.  They don’t require constant stirring and retain their shape and bite beautifully. The recipe is simple, and you can use it as the base to create your own variations with seasonal vegetables, greens and herbs, or with dried fruits and nuts. 

Serves 3-4

1/3 cup olive oil

1 leek thinly sliced, white and tender green parts

1/2 cup chopped dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes

2 cups red rice, preferably from Camargue

2 1/2  cups boiling vegetable broth or water

Salt

1/2 – 1 teaspoon Maraş pepper or a good pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

3 cups fresh (or frozen) shelled fava, blanched for 1 minute, drained and peeled (see Note)

1 cup chopped cilantro, or 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or coarsely ground walnuts

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan.  Add the leeks and sauté, tossing often, for about 6 minutes, or until they soften.  Add the mushrooms, reserving their soaking water, and cook 3 minutes more. Remove the leeks and mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the rice to the hot oil and sauté for 8 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of broth, the leeks, mushrooms and the mushroom liquid.  Reduce the heat, add salt and pepper and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Check often and add more broth as needed until the rice is al dente. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding black pepper if you like and more salt.

Stir in the fava and cilantro.  Plate the risotto, drizzling extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkling pine nuts over each serving.

NOTE:

If fava is not available, you can use peas or flageolet beans.

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