Wild Rice Salad

Wild rice salad

This salad always always gets rave reviews. My sister, Barbara, encouraged me to try this recipe. I have never been sorry. The flavors are tangy and the texture crunchy.  It is easy to make…really.  A little toasting, a little chopping, some wild rice and you have a great salad that can be made well ahead of any event!

Wild rice is a special type of edible grass and an excellent low fat, high fiber grain.  The rice has a dark chocolate-like color with a nutty, smokey taste due to the outer case it retains after harvesting.  It contains protein and dietary fiber as well as B vitamins and numerous minerals.  It is an excellent source of grain due to its high nutritive value.  Like true rice, it does not contain gluten.

This recipe will serve 6 – 8 and keeps easily for several days in the refrigerator.  Given all these facts, it is a great side dish to many meals and transportable for a summer picnic.

I use my rice cooker to cook the wild rice.  If you do not have one, take 4 C of water, chicken or vegetable broth and 2 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 C wild rice (about 6 oz). Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain well. 

While the rice is cooking, make the dressing: whisk 2 Tb raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 1 Tb fresh lemon juice, 1 minced clove of garlic, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and 1 tsp sugar in a bowl. Alternatively this can be mixed in a blender. While whisking or with blender running, add ¼ C vegetable oil and ¼ C olive oil. Mix thoroughly.

Add about half or more of the dressing to the cooked warm wild rice. Mix thoroughly. Let cool. This can be prepared 1 day in advance if you wish. Cover and refrigerate.

Cooked wild rice with green onions after adding vinaigrette

Once cool, add ½ C finely chopped dried Calimyrna or Mission figs, ½ C chopped toasted pecans (approximately 2 oz), ½ C chopped toasted unsalted cashews (approximately 2 oz.), ¼ C finely chopped green onion tops, 2 Tb finely chopped celery, 2 Tb finely chopped red onion, 1 - 2 fresh corn on the cob, corn cut off. 

....and now with all the good stuff!

Add the remaining salad dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.  You will love it!  I promise.  It is often hard to pair a wine with a salad with vinegar dressing.  As this is often served as a side dish, I would recommend selecting a wine to pair with the main entrée.  But, if you plan to serve this wonderful salad as the main course – and I would encourage you to do so – I would serve with a Pinot Noir, Syrah or a Zinfandel.

Adapted by Larue from a recipe by Rutherford Grill, Napa Valley, California.

Larue