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LIGHT & LOCAL |
Last summer, we attended my boyfriend's seminary reunion in Queens, N.Y. Our host prepared a vegetarian dinner. One of the most delicious and interesting dishes was his spinach rice balls. It was a perfect appetizer — offering fiber and nutrients and low in fat. The primary ingredient in this recipe is spinach, bound together with brown rice and seasonings.
Popeye the Sailor Man made spinach popular by popping open a can of spinach to give him superhuman strength. The cartoon implied that spinach was a rich source of iron. In the real world, a 60-gram serving of boiled spinach contains approximately 1 milligram of iron. Many green vegetables of the equivalent serving contain less than 1 milligram of iron. Therefore, spinach isn't an exceptional source of iron. However, spinach is rich in calcium and vitamins A, C and E, and antioxidants.
Spinach (Spinacia olerasea) is a flowering plant belonging to the family Chenopodiaceae. Originally, spinach was cultivated in southwestern Asia. It may have been the Persians who first began to cultivate it as a vegetable, because the root word for spinach, esfenaj, comes from their language. Also, the Chinese once referred to it as "the herb of Persia." Spinach found its way to North Africa, Syria, Arabia and Spain. In the next century, spinach spread through Europe, largely grown in the gardens of monasteries. The first documented use of spinach in England was in 1551. Last year, in a poll of 2,000 people, spinach was Britain's eighth most favored vegetable.
MEDITERRANEAN SPINACH RICE BALLS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a Dutch oven, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add spinach, Mediterranean seasonings, rice, balsamic vinegar, dill and feta. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well, mashing the rice mixture against the sides of the pot with a large spoon until the mixture starts to hold together. Spray 2 baking sheets with olive oil spray. Pack a 1 1/4-inch meatball shaper (or large melon baller or small ladle) with the rice mixture to form a sphere. Roll in bread crumb mixture. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Spray the tops of the balls with olive oil spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Balls should by crispy on the outside and heated through the inside. Makes 30-35 balls.
Dip (optional, if you don't mind the extra fat): Pour balsamic vinegar in small, shallow dish and add a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil.
Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.
Correction: A reference to spinach in a previous version of this story confused the family origins of two types of spinach. American spinach (locally marketed as horenso) is Spinacia oleracea from the Chenopodiaceae family; Chinese spinach (yin choi, edible amaranth, calaloo) is Amaranthus gangeticus from the Amaranthaceae family.
