Wild Rice, Pecan, and Dried Apricot Salad
15 Comments
We're home! Huzzah!
You know, everyone grouses about coming home from vacation. And it's true: the unpacking, the laundry, the schedules back in force.
But there are good things, too. Aren't there things you miss, that you love about coming home?
Like making a fridge full of great real-food salads to have in the week ahead. That's what Bruce has been doing all afternoon. And I was so excited about this one, I had to put it right up on the blog. Because it tasted just that good.
First, put 1 cup wild rice in a medium saucepan, then cover the rice with cool tap water to a depth of three inches or so. Measuring is less important than having enough water for the long simmer.
Bring the water and rice to a slow boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the rice grains are tender, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once in a while.
Wild rice, as you probably know, is a grass seed, indigenous to the upper Midwest of the United States and the Boundary Water bits of Canada. We happened to pick some up at a farmers' market in Minneapolis when we were there for book tour in June. It's been waiting for the right moment.
Like now.
When the rice is a few minutes from being done, dump in 8 or 9 dried shiitake mushroom caps. You can find these in most large supermarkets in the Asian aisle or at any Asian market.
Let the shiitake caps simmer in the water for the last 5 minutes of the wild rice's cooking, then spoon the caps out before draining all the rice in a fine-mesh colander set in the sink.
Rinse with cool water. You can stick the shiitake caps right back in the colander and leave them there while you mince and chop the other things.
Now the herbs. Mince 5 or 6 large sage leaves. Here's how:
First, roll them together into a sage cigar, as it were. Then thinly slice the cigar, letting the little rings fall away.
Now gather these rings together and rock your knife through them, keeping the part near the handle on the cutting board while rocking the tip back and forth through them.
Toss the sage bits into a large bowl, along with 2 teaspoons stemmed, minced thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Then thinly slice two large celery stalks with any leaves attached. Cut them lengthwise into thin strips, then slice these strips into little bits.
Next, mince 8 dried apricots and chop about 1/4 cup pecan pieces. Put all these in a large bowl.
Mince the softened, rehydrated shiitake caps; add them to the bowl with the other veggies and herbs; then pour in the cooked, wild rice.
You're almost done. Add 3 tablespoons avocado oil and 2 tablespoons cider vinegar. Avocado oil will give the whole thing a silky indulgence you won't believe.
And as we've said repeatedly: if you're serious about real food, then you need to get serious about having a great pantry, one from which you can make lots of real food at every turn. I realize this buying of pantry stuff can get expensive, especially in this bad economy. But it's so important for your health. And you don't have to do it all the time. But a little here and there will make a big difference. Besides, you've never had anything so good as a tossed salad made with an avocado oil dressing--or grilled fennel or corn on the cob with a little drizzle of avocado oil and some crunchy sea salt.
But one note: once you open that jar or can of avocado oil, keep it in the fridge because it goes rancid at room temperature quickly.
Toss the whole salad together and you're done. Cover and keep it in the fridge for several days. Assuming it lasts. Ours always has a dent in it.
Reader Comments (15)
Great recipe, and great timing as always! We're cooking up a vegetarian feast for friends tomorrow night, and needed just one more dish.. :) Thanks...
Hi! I just checked your book, "Real Food Has Curves," out of my local library and tried the peach salsa. It was wonderful! Peaches are in season in my neck of the woods (CT), and are also on sale. Thanks for the great recipe!
This sounds wonderful!!!
Rachel: You're in my neck of the woods! We live in Litchfield county.
Suzie: Thanks. It is--or by this afternoon, was.
M.
Do you think this would work with raisins, or is there another dried fruit you'd recommend? I love dried apricots, but they don't love me. :)
Marisa: How about dried cranberries for slightly more sour pop? Or dried raspberries, if you can find them. That said, raisins would work, too--but you might taste the salad before serving and see if it need a dribble more of vinegar.
M.
Is there an alternative for the avacado oil? I haven't seen that one in any of my grocery stores, or even the more unusual resources (Home Goods, World Market).
Hey, Linda. Olive oil leaps to mind. Or almond oil would be a fine choice. Nothing too strong, like a toasted nut oil. I'm surprised there's no avocado oil at the places by you. It's certainly in Whole Foods. And by us, it's even in Stop&Shop, if you can believe it. But a fragrant olive oil would be great, too.
M.
Thanks for the ideas. I do have a local Whole Foods, but I absolutely will not shop there. When the store was originally built, they had the use of a large parking lot directly across the street. Then the parking lot got developed into a small mall, and the store was left with about 30 spaces for a full-sized, busy grocery store. Parking is dreadful--the lot's not even set up so you can circle until a spot opens up. Everything is one way. Just not worth the aggravation. Much easier shopping at Safeway, Harris-Teeter, Giant, and Trader Joe's. Every one of those has large parking lots that are accessible.
Well, I certainly hear you there. I just checked amazon.com and they sell the La Tourangelle oils for a pretty good price. You can get two 16.9 ounce cans of the avocado oil for about $16. Even more astounding, you can get three (!) 16.9 ounce cans of their toasted walnut oil for $21. Certainly better prices than almost any store I've ever been in.
Oh, and one more thing: toasted nut oils and avocado oil are often found at great prices in Asian markets. I have no idea why, but there you have it.
M.
This is a beautiful, tasty, satiating and nutrition-filled salad--YUM!! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Would it make a good stuffing for a Thanksgiving bird?
Why not? It would get even more yummy. But I'd cut down on the avocado oil--in fact, use none--because there'll be fat dripping into it from the bird. Maybe double the dried fruit as well?
M.
Late to the party but how many servings would you estimate on this recipe? I ask because it's me, myself and I eating and I wouldn't want to see any of it go bad.
You know, I never put servings on recipes on this blog--and it's really a failing. I guess because these are narrative recipes, it never crosses my mind. Mea culpa. I'd say it makes four to six. One other thing: try it with another salad. Make two and put both on the plate. Research shows that eating a big plate of one thing leads to far less satiety than a range of textures and flavors.
M.
Looks really delicious and very autumn-y! Will definitely test it out at Thanksgiving, if not sooner.