Recipes for Cook

Wild Rice Root Vegetable Salad

We really enjoyed this salad; it was fresh and crunchy, with subtle earthy flavours sparked by the cranberries and nuts. I dont think its really a main-course salad, but it would be a great accompaniment to just about any kind of meat; roast chicken, duck breast, pork chops, salmon, trout, steak... 

We used pistachios - for some reason I am on a pistachio kick - but any kind of nut would do well, with almonds or hazelnuts being my second choice. Wild rice is expensive, so this is something of a special occasion salad, although it does stretch pretty well. Go ahead and treat yourself!

4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time PLUS 45 minutes to cook the rice,
not including cooling time
 

Cook the Wild Rice:
2/3 cup wild rice
2 2/3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the above ingredients into your rice cooker, and cook. You can also cook them in a pot on the stove: bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. This can be done up to 24 hours in advance. (Keep the rice in the fridge, covered.) At any rate, it must be done enough in advance to allow the rice to cool completely, at least 3 hours.

Make the Dressing:
3 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put the dressing ingredients in a jam jar, and shake to mix, or whisk them together in a small bowl.

Make the Salad:
1 cup finely grated carrot  (1 medium)
1 cup finely grated celeriac
1 cup finely grated rutabaga
2 cups finely shredded Savoy cabbage
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup lightly toasted nuts - pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts or pecans

Peel and grate the carrot, celeriac and rutabaga. Wash, trim and shred the cabbage.

Toss the vegetables with the wild rice, and mix in the dried cranberries and the nuts. Toss with the dressing.





Last year at this time I made Milky Vegetable Chowder.