Howdy, this is our Greek risoni.
Risoni is like a rice pasta.
So it's--
It looks like--
--the shape of a rice, but it's pasta.
It's made by--
And it's flat.
Yeah, it's very, very tasty.
I'm so excited for you.
OK, so try this.
OK.
So we're putting two tablespoons of olive oil.
Yeah.
I personally don't like cooking with too much oil,
like you already know.
But you cannot have a Greek recipe without olive oil.
So--
What about a bit of butter?
Oh.
You know what?
She's evil.
Yeah, we're trying to do a healthier version.
But having said that, if I was living in Greece and cooking,
and my auntie saw me put two tablespoons,
she'd be like, what are you doing?
Put half a cup in there.
Put one cup in there.
That's what they do, seriously.
They're like, add more oil.
And it's like, it tastes amazing.
Because when you dip that Greek bread in it.
Look, it doesn't matter what culture.
My Sinhalese mother-in-law would do exactly the same--
Would she?
--when she saw me cooking and I put a skimpy little bit of oil.
Would she put more?
Oh, yeah, more.
What kind of oil do they cook with?
Peanut oils.
Yeah.
OK.
Rice bran.
This is a very simple recipe.
It's one you can make in 10, 15 minutes for your family.
We've got one onion frying away in there beautifully.
Awesome.
And we'll put the carrots.
Two cups of carrots, a cup of carrots,
however many you want in there.
We'll just put it, maybe a cup, in there.
Actually, Shona cut this.
She's so good.
Look how well she cut it.
So just so that it can cook easier.
So that you've got--
Some rice in my bucket.
--a quick recipe there.
Actually, I got this recipe from The Greek Vegan.
She's a woman in America who is a Greek vegan.
Hold on.
I like, you know what?
People don't realize-- when people think of Greeks,
they think of lamb.
And when you actually go to Greece,
most of the food, traditional food, is vegetarian.
So how much is in here?
That's two cups.
Two cups.
OK.
So put two cups in there.
Done.
And now, fry it off.
Risoni.
OK.
Risoni.
So add 2 teaspoons of salt. Yeah.
Show me how.
Put one teaspoon.
Actually, that was 1 and 1/2, probably, or one.
Yeah, so if you want to use vegetable stock,
either make your own vegetable stock-- and the way
you do that is-- whatever leftover vegetables you have,
when you're cutting the veggies, just put them in the freezer.
And then once a week, boil them up and make your own stock.
Easy.
So we'll put the stock in.
That's six cups of stock.
We've got two bottles open here.
And there's another.
So six cups to two cups of risoni.
Because this is going to soak up all the liquid.
So again, like a pasta.
It'll absorb it.
Yeah.
And that is just oregano or mixed European-type herbs.
So we've got marjoram, thyme.
Risoni.
This is the special ingredient, Shona.
Do you know what this is?
It's thyme.
Thyme, which I don't never have enough of.
No.
Ah, this is-- this thing just really, the flavour of it,
cooked in this is awesome.
It makes it taste--
Awesome.
It tastes so good.
Don't pay me out.
Cheeky, you.
So you need to pull it off the stalk?
You can't just button it in?
No, no, you can just put the stocks in there, yeah.
But I like to take some off as well.
Risoni.
And then what else is in here?
That's chickpeas.
Chickpeas.
Which you can just put in now if you want.
That's a can?
Yeah, one can.
So you want it in now?
Yeah, sure.
You can just pour it.
It doesn't matter.
You can do it now or later, it doesn't really matter.
We'll do it now.
Because I like one-pot wonders.
So all you do now is you just keep cooking until it soaks up.
Stir it occasionally until it sucks up all the liquid.
And then it becomes really thick, pasta-y.
Interesting.
It's like a Greek--
Risotto.
You know?
Yeah, that's what I would call it.
How long do you reckon it's been cooking for?
Oh, I reckon about 15 minutes.
Yeah, around 15 minutes.
Five.
Five?
A bit more than five.
No, it's been cooking for 15 minutes.
See what's happened?
It's absorbed the liquid.
And that is easier than Italian risotto.
Look, I couldn't cook risotto.
But--
That is so easy.
That looks so delicious.
And look, you put some thyme on top.
And some people want to--
in Greece, they would probably have chicken
through it or something.
For winter coming up, such a good way
to have something hearty, warm.
The kids love it.
And you can have some--
I don't know if you want--
Well, I was going to ask, what would you
put on the side of it?
Because my teenage boys would go, is that it?
Well, in Greece, they would have a salad,
they would have some feta, some olives.
Oh, yeah.
They would be dipping that bread.
So yep, there you go.
Greek risoni.
Try it.
By the end of today, that will absorb
all the rest of that liquid.
Because that just keeps expanding.
Are you going to try it?
Good.
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