Recipe by: Yossy Arefi
Total Time: 1 hr, 20 minutes Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- FOR THE WILD RICE SALAD
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- ¾ cup uncooked wild rice blend or brown rice (about 5 ounces)
- ¾ pound peeled kabocha, honey nut, acorn or butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ small head radicchio, thinly sliced (optional, spicy greens or arugula work too!)
- ½ cup dried cherries, cranberries, or other dried fruit
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves and tender stems
- ⅓ cup toasted chopped walnuts, almonds, pepitas or sunflower seeds
- Salt to taste
- FOR THE CIDER VINAIGRETTE
- 1 cup fresh apple cider (if you can’t find apple cider, you can juice your apples or use store bought apple juice).
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced shallot or onion
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (regular yellow is ok, too!)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees and set a rack in the center of the oven.
- Prepare the rice: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice to the boiling water, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the rice until tender and most grains have split, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain the rice.
- While the rice cooks, roast the squash: On a baking sheet, toss the squash with the olive oil, paprika and a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper. Spread the squash into an even layer, then transfer to the oven to roast, stirring a few times, until golden and tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a boil over high. Boil the cider until it has reduced to about ¼ cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the cider syrup to a jar with a lid (don’t put the lid on yet) and let it cool slightly. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, shallot or onion, mustard, salt and pepper. Screw the lid on tightly and shake vigorously to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Assemble the salad: Add the cooked rice, roasted squash, greens or radicchio, dried fruit and parsley to a large bowl. Shake the vinaigrette to combine, then drizzle a few tablespoons over the salad and toss gently to combine. Add more vinaigrette to taste. (You may have a bit of extra vinaigrette; refrigerate it for up to 3 days and toss with other greens or grains.)
- Top the salad with the toasted nuts or seeds and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and serve immediately.