All roads lead to ... rice salad

One of the great things about being married to a man who grew up in Rome and still has family and friends there is that every once in a while he goes back home to visit.

And he takes you with him.

You just don't have a choice (oh, boo hoo, eh?).

Another great thing is that while you're there, you're always with locals, so you never feel like a tourist, even when you've clearly gone picture crazy.


Papo, as we call my husband's dad, is married to Rossella, probably the most kitchen-talented nuclear physicist in the world. Rossella's parents live in Otranto, so when we are in Italy we sometimes drive down there to stay for a few days.





It's very hard to eat badly in Italy; it's impossible if you happen to be staying with fabulous Italian home cooks (Rossella's mom Elena is a legend. She can make soil taste delicious).





How can one not feel terribly spoiled when every glorious meal is enjoyed in a setting like this:





And how can you not feel even more terribly spoiled when incredible cooks welcome you into their kitchen, encourage you to help prepare the meals, and share their family recipes with you?


I learn so many new things every time we go, and during our trip to Italy last year my great culinary discovery was “Rice Salad: Infinite Possibilities”. Rossella and Elena made so many different kinds, and even bars and tavole calde offered their own versions.


Italians must be on to something, because as I learned, rice salads are so easy to throw together, and oh-so-refreshing to eat – perfect for hot summer days when you don’t feel like cooking and have no idea what you feel like eating in the first place.





I love making them now, because they are so tasty and so easy. Like many Italian dishes, there is so much room for improvisation. You want artichokes? Those will work. Fagiolini (tiny green beans)? Those will work too. Ham? Cheese? Olives? Bell peppers? Hard-boiled eggs? Peas? Shrimps? Those will work – maybe not all together, or maybe why not all together, if that rocks your boat? That’s the beauty of it - it’s really up to you.


In making rice salads, I learned that the choice of rice is important – apparently parboiled is ideal, because the grains don’t clump together. This was a revelation to me, because I come from the Philippines, where rice means “steamed white rice” and Uncle Ben’s means “that’s not rice! Don’t even think about it!”. We Filipinos and Filipinas are passionate about our white rice, you see.


Initially thinking (or wanting to believe) that there was a difference between Italian parboiled rice and Uncle Ben's, I stuffed our suitcases with kilograms of riso Gallo (No joke: kilograms. My very Roman brother-in-law was in disbelief and said it was like I was packing up a grocery). However, since then I have overcome my parboiled-prejudice and have consequently also tried Uncle Ben’s ... and I must admit that it works just as well. (I’m sorry I said the “Uncle-B-word”, Mom. Please don’t disown me.)

Once your rice is ready, you basically just toss in some homemade vinaigrette and everything else that you wanted to have with it. I like it best at room temperature, or very slightly warm. Leftovers can be refrigerated, but I still pull my leftover rice salad out of the fridge and let it lose a bit of the fridge chill for a few minutes before serving.


I've convinced my Mom about the wonders of this salad and now she makes them too. In fact, when I visited my parents in Montréal she threw together her own version for supper one day, and it was delicious.





No matter what's in it, I think one of the reasons I like rice salad so much is that, even if we don't have the exact same salads as the ones we had last year, the mere concept of the dish brings me right back to Italy. I guess memories are powerful that way.

Shrimp and Asparagus Rice Salad

From My Mom

Prepare:
  lemon vinaigrette (see below)


Steam until just pink and set aside:
  1/2 - 3/4 lb shelled shrimp 


Cook (your preferred way - e.g., by blanching or roasting - we did it by blanching in boiling water for  3 minutes and then immediately placing in a bowl of ice water):
  1/2 - 3/4 of a large bunch of fresh asparagus


Chop the asparagus into bite-size pieces and set aside.


Prepare your rice according to package directions.  You'll need about:
  3 cups cooked parboiled rice


While the rice is still hot, toss in:
  1 clove garlic, crushed
  2 Tbsp lemon vinaigrette (see recipe below)


Let the rice cool for a few minutes, then toss in your prepared shrimp and asparagus, as well as a few more tablespoons of the vinaigrette.  You will likely not use all of the vinaigrette - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for a few days.


Garnish with a hard-boiled egg and some parsley, if you wish.  Serve at room temperature, or slightly warm if you can't wait!

Jam Jar Lemon Vinaigrette

Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

In a jar, place:
  6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  the juice of 1 lemon (usually this comes to about 3-4 Tbsp)
  salt and pepper


Cover the jar and shake vigorously.