On Thu 18 Aug 2005 09:20:12a, Nancy1 wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> Margaret Suran wrote:
>>
>> Most rice salads here, are made with wild rice, which is not rice at
>> all, but delicious, nevertheless. Do you have wild rice in Italy? If
>> not, I would be happy to send you some. )
>
> Are you speaking of "here" as in the U.S.? 'Cause I'm pretty durn old
> and have never, never, never had wild rice salad. It is so chewy, I'm
> suprised people like it for salad.
>
> I use it mainly for soups.
>
> As to rice salad, I use a long-grain white rice - add olive oil; some
> smallish bits of broccoli flowerets, sliced ripe olives, bits of fresh
> tomato -
>
> N.
>
>

I like rice salads made with ordinary white or brown rice, but wild rice is
my very first choice for making a rice salad, and I don't care for it mixed
with another rice. IME, most people don't seem to cook wild rice properly.
It should be neither hard nor excessively chewy, nor should it be over-
cooked and the grains "exploded" into mush.

Years ago I mailordered a pound of wild rice and received a pamphlet of
cooking tips with the package. I followed the cooking method that was
recommended and I've been doing this ever since. My wild rice is always
perfect.

1. Place the rice in a heavy bowl and cover with boiling water at least 1
inch above the rice. Cover tightly and allow to cool to room temperature.
Drain the rice and repeat the procedure.

2. Transfer the rice to a pot and cover with water or broth at least 1
inch above the rice. If using water, salt lightly. Bring the rice to a
gentle simmer uncovered until as tender as you prefer. The rice should not
absorb all the cooking liquid. Note: This will not take as long to cook
as simply boiling the rice because of the two pre-soaks, but age and size
of the grain will affect cooking time.

3. While rice is cooking, prepare any additions you plan to make; e.g.,
sauteed onion or shallot, nut meats, dried fruit, etc.

4. Drain rice thoroughly and return to pot. Add a plain or flavored oil
or butter, and all the additions you've prepared. Reheat for serving as a
hot side dish, or cool to room temperature to serve as a salad.

HTH

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.


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