The following recipe for a Vegetable Rice Salad (called Insalata di Riso, in Italian) is from SurvivalBlog reader D.G..
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (I use Arborio rice, but Jasmine or other rice will do.)
- 1/2 pound medium-diameter asparagus
- 1 cup shelled English peas, from about 1 pound fresh peas
- 2 pounds fresh fava beans
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Black pepper, preferably freshly ground (to taste)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup boiled ham, diced into very small chunks
- 1/4 cup freshly grated cheese (I use Pecorino Romano, but other mild cheeses can be substituted.)
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice, stir, and adjust heat to maintain a simmer.
- Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent any grains from sticking to the pot, until the rice is just barely done, about 15 minutes. It will continue to cook as it cools. Drain the rice well and spread it out on a tray to cool quickly.
- Bring another large pot of salted water to a boil. Individually cut or break each spear of aparagus at the point that it becomes tough. Discard the tough ends and cut the tender part into 1/3-inch lengths. Blanch asparagus and peas together in the boiling water for 1 minute and 30 seconds, then lift out with a strainer and transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet to cool.
- Shell the fava beans, then blanch the unpeeled beans in the same boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain, transfer them to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool. Peel the fava beans by pinching open the loose skin; the peeled bean should slip out easily.
- Put the lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled rice, asparagus, peas, fava beans, basil, parsley, lemon zest, ham and cheese.
- Toss the salad, to blend.
- Pour on only as much the dressing as needed, and then toss gently.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
A Note on SERVING
You may blanch everything in advance, but don’t dress the salad until just before serving it.
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