Monday, August 04, 2008

RICE SALAD


The temperature is again nearing 40 C and we are into cold food. I have talked about my rice salad before but didn't show you a picture at the time and it changes slightly each time I make it! Here's what I did last night:

Cook c. 1 lb long-grain rice according to the instructions on the pack or for 15 minutes or so, adding half a lemon and some seasalt to the water. Drain well and immediately run cold water over it whilst still in the sieve. Set aside but not for long, as rice deteriorates fast in the heat.

Peel and deseed half a cucumber, chop, salt and leave for about 10 minutes. Rinse, drain well and dry the pieces on kitchen paper. Chop some black olives. Chop the following ingredients finely together: 1 or 2 red peppers [I find the elongated sort better than bell peppers for this recipe], a couple of shallots or very small onions, some celery and lots of flat-leaved parsley and basil. [I chuck the lot in a processor.]

Now put the rice in a serving dish, dress it with about 6 tablesp olive oil, 1 tablesp white wine vinegar, some freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg. Toss well. Add all the vegetables, herbs and the contents of a can of sweetcorn. Mix everything well together once more and chill.

I got this idea for preparing the cucumbers and the whole idea in principle from the excellent and much-missed Jennifer Paterson, in her book Feast Days [published before her Two Fat Ladies incarnation]. She would not approve of the peppers or sweetcorn but I hope she would forgive me.
And yes, here is another salad for you and the not-wife, Jams!

13 comments:

Leslie: said...

I really like the sound of this salad - minus the olives. Well, that's just me...

I'm going to give it a try.

Saretta said...

Rice salad is definitely a summer staple and so versatile! You can put in whatever you have on hand, to a certain extent! Thanks for stopping by my new blog!

Whispering Walls said...

Cold Yorkshire pudding filled with thinly sliced fillet of beef and a dollop of horseradish could be good...

flutterby said...

Putting nutmeg in your rice salad is an intriguing idea. Keep those good ideas coming.

Gledwood said...

you know the thing with the starch on the rice... are you meant to wash rice for salad especially a lot? or especially not at all? or does it not matter..?

CherryPie said...

It sounds so delicious. I would have loved that on Saturday, it was so hot here!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Very tasty,just my sort of salad:-)

Just to let you know, it is freezing here....cold and wet!!! Oh just a bit of heat would do nicely.

jmb said...

Of course you have to have the corn and pepper for colour, if nothing else. A one dish meal really.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Leslie. It'll be fine without the olives. Hi, Saretta. Yes, rice salad is nice and versatile. It's my pleasure to visit your blog. Hi, WW. Now, there's a thought! Thanks, flutterby. That, too, is a J Paterson idea. Ciao, Gleds. Personally, I don't bother rinsing long-grain but I do rinse basmati. Here you can buy rice especially for salads.
Thanks, cherrypie. What was thew temp there? Hi, Anne. I can't imagine rain or being cold at the moment! Have some of our sunshine.... Hi, jmb. Yes, I think they're good for the colour.

jams o donnell said...

Ooh that's a must make Welshcakes!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Let me know how it turns out, jams.

Nunyaa said...

Looks divine :)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Thanks, nunyaa. x

Counters


View My Stats