Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Chtapodi me Kritharaki (Χταπόδι με Κριθαράκι)
Aegean island octopus, tomato, red wine, and toasted kritharaki share one pot, so the pasta drinks the briny sauce and stays glossy instead of turning heavy.
Culinary Explorer
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Macedonian Fakorizo (Φακόρυζο Μακεδονίας)
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Macedonian fakorizo is the fast-day pot of lentils, rice, olive oil, and onions browned until sweet. Cheap food, yes. Poor food, never.
Main Dishes
Greek
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
One Pot
15 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield4 generous servings
Macedonian fakorizo is lentils and rice cooked together into one soft, honest pot, the sort of nistisimo supper that fed northern Greek houses when meat and dairy were off the table. The dish is not trying to impress you. Brown lentils, rice, onions, olive oil, a bay leaf, and vinegar at the end. That is the whole truth of it.
The one method that decides it is the onion. Brown it slowly in olive oil before the lentils go in, until it turns sweet and deep gold. If you leave the onion pale, the pot tastes flat. If you burn it, the bitterness stays. Good olive oil, and patience.
This is weeknight food, but it isn't careless food. The lentils should be tender, the rice soft, the oil visible on the surface, and the vinegar just sharp enough to wake the whole spoonful. I write this one down because these cheap pots disappear first, and they are often the ones a country remembers by eating them.
Fakorizo belongs to the older fasting table of mainland Greece, especially in Macedonia and Thrace, where lentils and grains made a complete, inexpensive meal during Orthodox fasts. The pairing sits beside other eastern lentil-and-grain dishes, but the Greek version is kept plain: olive oil, browned onion, bay, and vinegar rather than heavy spices. Its name is literal, fakes and ryzi, lentils and rice, which is how everyday Greek dishes often announce themselves.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
small brown lentils
Quantity
250g
picked over and rinsed
medium-grain rice
Quantity
120g
rinsed
yellow onions
Quantity
3 large, about 450g total
thinly sliced
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
90ml
bay leaf
Quantity
1
water
Quantity
1.1 litres
plus more if needed
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
red wine vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
plus more for serving
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| small brown lentilspicked over and rinsed | 250g |
| medium-grain ricerinsed | 120g |
| yellow onionsthinly sliced | 3 large, about 450g total |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 90ml |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| waterplus more if needed | 1.1 litres |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 8g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| red wine vinegarplus more for serving | 1 tablespoon |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •heavy-bottomed pot, 24cm
- •fine-mesh sieve for rinsing rice and lentils
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the Lentils
Pick through the lentils for small stones, then rinse them well under cold water. Put them in a pot with plenty of fresh water, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain them. This first boil takes off the dusty edge without stealing the lentil's body.
- 2
Brown the Onions
Wipe the pot dry. Add the olive oil and sliced onions, then cook over medium heat for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are deep golden and soft at the edges. Don't hurry this. In fakorizo, the browned onion is the sweetness, the depth, and half the meal.
If the onions darken too fast, lower the heat and add one spoonful of water. You want brown and sweet, not scorched. - 3
Simmer the Lentils
Lift out one third of the browned onions and keep them aside for serving. Add the drained lentils, bay leaf, 1.1 litres water, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are nearly tender but still hold their shape.
- 4
Add the Rice
Stir in the rinsed rice. Simmer uncovered for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then so the rice doesn't catch, until the lentils and rice are soft and the pot is loose but not soupy. Add a little hot water if it tightens before the rice is done.
- 5
Finish the Pot
Take out the bay leaf. Stir in the vinegar and taste for salt. Let the fakorizo sit off the heat for 10 minutes, because the rice settles and the lentils drink the last of the oil. Serve warm, with the reserved onions on top, parsley if you like, and more vinegar at the table.
Chef Tips
- •Use small brown lentils that cook evenly. Red lentils collapse, and green lentils can stay too firm beside the rice. This pot wants softness, not a salad texture.
- •The vinegar goes in at the end, not the beginning. Add it early and the lentils take longer to soften. Add it late and it brightens the pot cleanly.
- •Serve fakorizo with olives, raw onion, pickled peppers, or a piece of good bread. During Lent it stands on its own, and outside the fast nobody will complain about feta beside it.
Advance Preparation
- •The lentils can be picked over and rinsed earlier in the day.
- •Fakorizo keeps well for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently with a splash of water and a spoonful of olive oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 400g)
Calories
560 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
74 g
Dietary Fiber
10 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
19 g
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