Rice Salad With Currants, Almonds and Pistachios
Summer buffets often feature potato salad and pasta salad, but rice salad, quite popular throughout the Mediterranean, is another terrific option to keep in mind. This simple one uses pantry ingredients and is delicious on its own with a bit of salad or with grilled chicken or fish. To keep the rice grains separate, boil the rice in a large pot of water as for pasta.
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 2cups short-grain rice, such as arborio
- Salt and pepper
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2tablespoons tahini
- 3tablespoons lemon juice
- 1teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ½cup currants, soaked in hot water and drained
- 1cup whole roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- ½cup whole roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
- 3tablespoons snipped chives
- 3tablespoons chopped mint
- 2teaspoons chopped savory or thyme
- ½cup chopped parsley
Instructions
Step 1
Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice and 2 tablespoons salt. Boil rice as you would pasta, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until done, but still al dente. Drain and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.Step 2
Once cool, transfer rice to a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, tahini, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold mixture into rice.Step 3
Add currants, almonds, pistachios, chives, mint, savory and parsley. Toss to distribute. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more lemon juice or salt as necessary. Serve at room temperature.