People often ask me how I manage to fit in each week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipes. Well here’s my secret – when the Dorie recipes come out each month, I plan my menus for get-togethers with friends well in advance, to make sure I fit the recipes in. So my friends always know that when they come over there will necessarily be a sometimes odd mélange of dishes that they will need to give me their honest feedback on. What I love about this approach is that it makes me sometimes think out of the box in terms of what I serve and I get the bonus of feedback from someone other than Neil and myself!
This week’s recipe – Creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with spinach – was an easy, comfort-food meal that I unfortunately chose to serve on one of the hottest days of the summer. On the day itself, it was tasty enough (though it was way too hot to be eating a risotto-type dish)but it was really, really good the next day as leftovers. I fried it up in a tiny bit of olive oil, making sure to get some golden crispy bits and served it with some basil and lemon zest. A perfect simple lunch that brightened up Labour Day after the weather had turned all rainy and cold on us. I’ll be making this again, for sure. In the winter!
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French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs, rather, we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves (trust me, you definitely want this book!) which you can do here on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository.
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So that’s what it looks like with the fresh spinach…gorgeous! I love your addition of the basil and lemon zest – I’ll try that next time. And thanks for the tips on fitting in your FFWD dishes/posts…I was wondering how on earth I will manage to be regular about it!
You’ll find a way. Dorie’s recipes are so simple!
I love how you crisped up those bits of rice for contrast. The lemon zest and basil must have added the zing I was missing from the recipe as written. It was delicious although a bit too rich for my taste.
Yes it needed the contrast, I found.
This sounds so delicious! I was hoping to make it tonight, but alas, I don’t have this book and even Amazon can’t get it here that fast!
You will enjoy the book when you get it though!
Oh, I like your version with the basil and lemon! I thought it was really good, but it’s really hot here too, so I just cranked up the a/c while we ate it 🙂
Sounds like a plan too!
Great idea to plan your dinner party menus ahead of time and include FFWD recipes as part of the menus. Your rice looks more risotto-ish than mine, I probably overdid it with the cheese (2 cups!)…but oh, it tasted SO good!
Mmmm – cheese!
Mmmmm….your leftover idea is brilliant! I’d love a bit of crispiness with this dish. And it really isn’t a dish for a hot day, is it??? It was in the high 90’s when I made it last week~
Yes the crispness was just what it needed!
Stunning photos: just want to grab that fork and taste. Adore risotto and this one looks so colourful and creamy. Wish I lived around the corner and could drop in as one of your testers!
Oh I wish you did too Jill!
Hmmm…not sure what happened, but I seemed to have “missed” this on the weekend. It seemed rather bland and forgettable, certainly one I would not think Mardi would want to repeat.
Maybe it just got lost in the shuffle, or overshadowed by the ceviche and cheese?
I’ll give it another go, for the sake of blog thoroughness… 🙂
You were just too hot and bothered to eat it. And bugged by the wasps. We’ll make this again!
I thought this made for wonderful leftovers.
The lemon zest is a great idea – those finishing touches do make a difference.
Agree!
This looked absolutley lovely! Rice is my weakness, especially when it is cheesy and creamy…hence I try to avoid it as much as possible for the sake of the wasteline. But you made me want go out and buy Around my French Table immediately! Great post thank you for sharing.
This really is a wonderful cookbook!
I imagine that this would be a little too heavy for a hot summer day, but happy to hear that you got to enjoy it as leftovers. We enjoyed it as well, perhaps a bit rich to make often, but tasty in any case.
Leftovers were the perfect use for it!
This looks fantastic!! I would totally eat this for dinner
Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Cheese, garlic, rice. Three precious things that clearly work well together.
Couldn’t agree more!
Sounds like I need a new cookbook! 😉
Best cookbook ever!
Ok, this recipe might just actually make me buy the book (because I need another cookbook like I need a hole in the head). But I’m a sucker for risotto-ish dishes and garlic. mmmm…
Mmmmm. Garlic!
Love leftovers and this rice made the perfect leftovers. Your addition of zest and basil was a terrific idea!
Perfect leftover food indeed!
I love your photos…so colorful and bright and inviting. I know what you mean about planning out the meals so that all this recipes can be fitted in…life is too busy. I’m amazed that I can get a post put together…usually sometime in the night when I don’t sleep. But I enjoy this new hobby…well, we’ve been doing this for about a year, and as I look back over the year, I’m impressed with all that we all have gotten done!
We have achieved a lot in FFWD, for sure!
beautiful pictures and I like the fact that you added basil and lemon zest to it 🙂 I will add them to my cheesy rice the next time I make this 🙂
Basil and lemon zest really add a lot to all dishes.
This was definitely NOT hot weather food. But so delicious.
I admire your advanced planning. I try, but I’ll never get there.
Yes, delicious indeed. But one for the cooler temps.
This looks absolutely delish! And the photos are stunning too! Thanks for sharing =]
Thank you so much!
I like to have my friends over for dinner on FFwD nights too! 🙂 A lot more fun and the feedback is great too!
Yeah it’s great to get others’ feedback too!
What a GREAT way to do it! I bet your friends LOVE coming over, too! This one looks amazing!
Yes it makes for some fun dinners!
I’m a big fan of cheese and spinach. So, I’ll definitely have to put this recipe on my To Cook List! 🙂
Cheers,
Kristina
It’s a great combination!
I have to admit, there is nothing better than fried/crisped leftover rice. About once a year we make risotto for friends, and then indulge in fried risotto cakes sprinkled with parmesan and herbs the next day.
Oh risotto cakes? Mmmm!
That’s the NAME of the recipe?? Oh. My. God. I have to break down and buy this book. (My only hesitation is… well… you know how I am with recipes. I have to improvise, even though they are written by experts and I, clearly, am not one.) This sounds so delicious, and your next day improv. sounds even better. Hey… maybe that’s my answer? The next day improv?
Oh, yum! I don’t make rice nearly enough… Love the look of this dish!
cream, cheese, garlic, spinach – four of my favorite things. i have finally put the cookbook on my amazing wishlist. 🙂