Wild Rice + Wild Arugula = Yum
Apr. 23rd, 2024 08:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Wild Rice and Mushroom Salad.
1 cup wild rice
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs thyme
2 tsp veg oil
1 lb chanterelle or portobello mushrooms, chopped (I used half chanterelle and half white)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and cracked
1 tsp cumin seeds, ditto
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mixed dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots...)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
8 oz arugula or watercress (aruuuugula)
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
Bring 4 cups water to boil and add the salt, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the rice and simmer for 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain the rice and remove the bay leaf and thyme; let cool. This can be done 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
Heat the veg oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat, drain well, and set aside.
Make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, spices, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Add the dried fruit. In asalad extremely large bowl combine the cooled wild rice, mushrooms, and walnuts. Toss with the dressing and fruits. To serve, portion the salad on 4 plates. Top with the greens and sprinkle with the goat cheese.
What worked: This was good. 8 oz arugula is a lot and would completely cover the pile of salad on a plate, so I chopped it and mixed it into the rice - hence the need for a ginormous bowl. I also mixed in the cheese which didn't seem to harm anything.
What didn't: Shallots are quite variable in size. I had what seemed to be fairly large ones, so I only used one. Two would have been better. It could have used a touch more dressing and maybe a bit more cheese. We only had dried cherries, but a mix of fruits (even just cranberries and cherries) would have been nicer.
The arugula I bought was nice and peppery, but had tough stems; I should have stemmed it as directed, but most of the time what we get either is already stemmed or has tender enough stems to not worry about.
Will I make it again? The wife quite liked it, so it will go into the rotation. The recipe calls it a fall salad when fresh produce is less available, but it'd be a good hot summer day dinner.
Side note: I knew that the English term "rocket" came from French roquette. I was curious and now know that the French word was borrowed from the standard Italian word ruchetta, derived from the original Latin eruca. "Arugula" is a loan word from a "non-standard Italian dialect" (popularized in English in the '60s by NY Times cookbook author Craig Claiborne). That makes "rocket" and "arugula" cognates. The more you know!
Resolution Recipes are going on hiatus for a couple weeks.
1 cup wild rice
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs thyme
2 tsp veg oil
1 lb chanterelle or portobello mushrooms, chopped (I used half chanterelle and half white)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and cracked
1 tsp cumin seeds, ditto
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mixed dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots...)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
8 oz arugula or watercress (aruuuugula)
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
Bring 4 cups water to boil and add the salt, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the rice and simmer for 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain the rice and remove the bay leaf and thyme; let cool. This can be done 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
Heat the veg oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat, drain well, and set aside.
Make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, spices, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Add the dried fruit. In a
What worked: This was good. 8 oz arugula is a lot and would completely cover the pile of salad on a plate, so I chopped it and mixed it into the rice - hence the need for a ginormous bowl. I also mixed in the cheese which didn't seem to harm anything.
What didn't: Shallots are quite variable in size. I had what seemed to be fairly large ones, so I only used one. Two would have been better. It could have used a touch more dressing and maybe a bit more cheese. We only had dried cherries, but a mix of fruits (even just cranberries and cherries) would have been nicer.
The arugula I bought was nice and peppery, but had tough stems; I should have stemmed it as directed, but most of the time what we get either is already stemmed or has tender enough stems to not worry about.
Will I make it again? The wife quite liked it, so it will go into the rotation. The recipe calls it a fall salad when fresh produce is less available, but it'd be a good hot summer day dinner.
Side note: I knew that the English term "rocket" came from French roquette. I was curious and now know that the French word was borrowed from the standard Italian word ruchetta, derived from the original Latin eruca. "Arugula" is a loan word from a "non-standard Italian dialect" (popularized in English in the '60s by NY Times cookbook author Craig Claiborne). That makes "rocket" and "arugula" cognates. The more you know!
Resolution Recipes are going on hiatus for a couple weeks.
