Wild Rice Salad

posted: Tuesday, October 21st, 2014
Photo by Travis Anderson

This dish showcases wild rice, or Mahnomin in Ojibwe, a food that is sacred to Native Americans and indigenous to the lakes of northern Minnesota. When buying wild rice in your area, purchase wild harvested, not farmed rice [We love Native Harvest wild rice]. And honor each grain of wild rice by making sure you don’t lose a single grain in the cooking process.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

  • 1 ½ cups wild rice [uncooked]
  • 2 ½  cups brown rice [uncooked]
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 4 cups spinach
  • additional salt and pepper to taste

EQUIPMENT

two pots with capacity to hold 3x rice [if you’re cooking 4 cups of rice, a 3 quart pot]

WANT TO MAKE THIS FOR A CROWD? CHECK OUT OUR FREE COOKBOOK DOWNLOAD, sized for 8, 20, and 50 people


DIRECTIONS

  1. Prepare wild rice and brown rice in separate pots, since they have different cooking times. Cook brown rice with a 1:2 rice to water ratio. Cook wild rice with as much water as you like, planning to drain off the water when the rice is cooked [try to cook rice so that it is tender, but with a little bit of pull – and not so well done that the kernel splits completely].
  2. If you are making this for a crowd, cool the rices by spreading them out on cookie sheets. Cooling the rice this way will help prevent it from clumping.
  3. Prepare the dressing – chop garlic finely and mix in spices, salt & pepper, red wine vinegar, and then whisk in olive oil. Pour dressing over the rice when at room temperature or slightly cooled. The salad can keep at this stage overnight, and it helps the flavors meld. Store refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap.
  4. The day of the feast, add the rest of the ingredients – pecans, scallions chopped into diagonal slices, cranberries, and spinach [cut into a wide chiffonade]. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve at room temperature.

WHAT CAN I DO? 

Wash and chop scallions and spinach to fold into the salad. Chop the scallions as thinly as you can on the diagonal – you’ll need a knife and a cutting board. Chop spinach into thin strips. 

Taste test to see if the salad needs more salt and pepper, or another splash of vinegar. Keep mixing and tasting until you’re satisfied. You’ll need tasting spoons, a mixing spoon, and seasonings. 

Tell the cook if you’ve ever foraged for wild foods. Maybe it’s harvesting the dandelion greens in your front yard or hunting wild game or mushrooms. If so, what do you remember about the experience?    

ADAPTATIONS

No spinach? You can use kale or arugula as substitutes. Don’t have dry mustard? Use the same amount of dijon mustard and use a little less olive oil.  

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