This has been a favorite of mine for decades, especially at Thanksgiving. It is a complex dish that requires too many ingredients to fix for just one person. I used to bring this to our Thanksgiving and New Year Dinners at the Buddha Master’s home each year when I lived in Pasadena.
- 1 Cup Wild rice
- 1 1/2 Cups Water
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- Pinch Salt
- 1 small diced fennel bulb (celery will do) or chopped baby kale
- 1/2 Cup golden raisins, currents, dried cranberries, apricots, or cherries
- 2 Apples, crisp
- 1 Orange
- 1 Cup Hazelnuts
Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/2 Cup Fresh orange juice
- 2 Orange, zest only
- 8 tsp Lemon juice
- 2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Crushed fennel seeds
- 2 Tbsp Hazelnut or avocado oil
- 10 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Fennel leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Parsley leaves, chopped
Gently rinse wild rice under cold water. Drain well. Place wild rice, cold water, a pinch of salt, and olive oil in Pressure Cooker. Close lid and pressure cook on High Pressure using Manual/Pressure Cook button for 15 minutes; then Full Natural Release (~10 mins). Turn off heat. Open the lid carefully. Drain in colander.
Mix salad dressing ingredients.
Combine rice with fennel bulb/celery or kale and dried fruit rinsed in warm water and then soaked in the juice of an orange. Add diced crisp apples (toss in lemon juice to keep from darkening) just before serving.
If hazelnuts are raw, toast in oven at 350 degrees until golden brown and fragrant. Be careful, as they easily burn. Cool a few minutes and rub with towel to remove most of the skins and coarsely chop. Add to salad at last minute to keep crisp or serve as side dish if anyone has nut allergies. You can use other nuts, but the hazelnuts are special.
Toss salad with dressing and serve.
ALTERNATIVE WAY TO COOK WILD RICE: Rinse and soak wild rice in water for ½ hour. Drain. Add fresh water, salt and bring to a boil. Use 5:1 ratio of water to rice. Cook, covered, at a simmer until the grains are swollen and tender, but still chewy—about 30-35 minutes. Pour cooked rice into a colander and let drain.
6 Servings.
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