Pasta & Grain Salads

Wild Rice & Cranberry Salad

Wild rice is not really rice — it is an aquatic grass seed, which is why it stays chewy and nutty instead of going soft, and why it is the only grain that holds up to being dressed hours in advance. That durability makes this the ideal salad to make the day before a holiday meal. Dried cranberries bring tartness, toasted pecans bring fat and crunch, celery keeps it fresh, and an orange vinaigrette ties it to everything else on an autumn table. It is also excellent cold, straight from the container, at eleven at night.

Wild Rice & Cranberry Salad
15 minPrep time
45 minCook time
60 minTotal time
6Servings
360Kcal / serving

Ingredients

  • 300g wild rice blend
  • 100g dried cranberries
  • 100g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, finely sliced
  • 4 spring onions, sliced
  • Large handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Juice and zest of 1 orange
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook the rice

    Simmer the wild rice in plenty of well-salted water for 40–45 minutes until the grains have split open and are tender but still chewy. Drain thoroughly and spread on a tray to steam-dry.

  2. Plump the cranberries

    Cover the cranberries with the orange juice and leave them to soak while the rice cooks. They will swell and soften.

  3. Make the vinaigrette

    Whisk the orange zest, cider vinegar, Dijon and olive oil with salt and pepper. Add the soaking orange juice from the cranberries.

  4. Toss

    Combine the warm rice with the vinaigrette first so it absorbs, then fold in the cranberries, pecans, celery, spring onions and parsley. Serve at room temperature.

Put it next to Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Butternut Squash for a full autumn spread. Dress it instead with Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

The EasySaladBowl secretDress the rice while it is still warm. Cooled grains have set starch and simply will not take up vinaigrette — this is the single biggest reason grain salads taste bland.

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