Italian Rice Salad and a Giveaway

I first ate a rice salad years ago in Italy, prepared by one of my cousins near Piacenza during a particularly hot summer spell. I have since seen them in many places all over Italy, whether served with a vinegar and oil base as I have here, or a mayonnaise base. Either way they’re delicious and they typically include tuna, hard-boiled eggs, peas and many other vegetables. Many even include chunks of ham, but I kept this one vegetarian. The beauty of this salad is how it adapts to whatever you have on hand in your kitchen, and you can add ingredients in whatever quantities you like. It’s a perfect salad to take to a picnic, and tastes even better the day after you make it. But it makes a fine cold lunch or dinner too, since it contains proteins as well as vegetables. Add a green salad on the side and you’ve got a healthy and delicious meal. I used arborio rice and olive oil, both sent to me by  Limone Market. The rice is a brand called “Lucedio,” from a farm in the heart of Italy’s Piedmont region.  The grains are husked only when orders are received, to ensure freshness, and they held up well to all the strong ingredients in the salad. After cooking the rice, make sure to let it cool completely before proceeding with the recipe. The oil is from an estate in Sicily called “Bona Furtuna” and is made from a single, organic variety of olive called biancolillo centinara. The oil has a mild flavor, with a slight peppery taste at the end and would work well with any type of salad, seafood or even cake recipes. Both are available at Limone Market’s online shop.

Now for the giveaway: Limone Market has graciously offered to give one of my readers an assortment of its products – arborio rice and olive oil, that I used in this salad, plus lentils and pasta. The organic pasta is made by Monogramo Felicetti with kamut, an ancient grain that originated in the Middle East. It retains its firm texture, and is an excellent source of protein, fiber and vitamins and minerals, including selenium. Plus the shape — chiocciole (snails), is great for soaking up a sauce. I served it in a meat and tomato sauce, but the next time I use it, I plan to serve it in a lighter, olive-oil based sauce, to highlight its nutty, buttery flavor.

The organic lentils are from the Umbria region, from Casa Corneli.  Although the package recommends pre-soaking them, I found this step totally unnecessary, since they have very thin skins. I used them in a salad and they retained their shape perfectly. They’d be great in a soup or as a warm side dish too.

All you have to do to receive these products is leave a comment telling me your favorite way to enjoy rice. If you’re on Instagram, follow @ciaochowlinda and @limone_market and you’ll get two extra chances to win. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator.

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Italian Rice Salad

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 6.7 oz. jar tuna in olive oil (preferably an Italian brand like Tonnino), broken into pieces
• 2 eggs hard-boiled and roughly chopped
• cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup pickled red onions, chopped into pieces
• 1/4 cup pickled or roasted peppers, chopped into small pieces
• 1 6.5 oz. jar marinated artichokes, chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced in small pieces and boiled until tender
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, used directly from the package (not cooked)
• minced parsley
• salt, pepper
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 large sprigs of basil
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the rice in tthe water for about 20 minutes.
2. Let the rice cool completely.
3. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and mix.
4. Place the dressing ingredients in a blender and whir until all are combined well.
5. Pour over the rice salad and mix in thoroughly.

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