This is a salad I threw together once because I received a 10 lb box of wild rice and I needed to figure out a way to eat it. The recipe has its origins in a pasta salad that I had at Mise, a Winnipeg restaurant on Corydon Avenue that included the diced olives, jalapenos, hot picked eggplant and feta cheese. I loved it so much that I decided to mess with the ingredients and make a salad using the wild rice and similar flavorings. I had to make it up since I didn’t actually get the actual recipe from them, just the idea. Since then I’ve made it in bulk and it has been a lunch and pot luck favorite since it stays and travels well. I’ve also been asked for the recipe many times. These are the ingredients, with my best guesstimate.
- 2 Cups Wild Rice (uncooked)
- ½ Yellow Pepper (diced)
- ½ Red Pepper (diced)
- 4-6 Green Onions (sliced)
- ½ – ¾ Cup Dried Cranberries
- ½ – ¾ Cup Slivered Almonds
- ½ – ¾ Cup (or more) Feta Cheese
- 6 – 10 Marinated Artichoke Hearts (diced)
- 2 heaping Tablespoons of finely diced Olives
- 2 heaping Tablespoons of finely diced Jalapeños (as much or little depending on taste)
- 2 heaping Tablespoons of Hot Pickled Eggplant (diced)
- Juice of half a Lemon
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons White Wine or Cider Vinegar
- Sprinkle of Salt and Pepper.
Cook the rice to the tenderness you like, drain and rinse. Chop all the ingredients and put together in a big bowl. Mix thoroughly and taste.
I use bottled diced Jalapeno Spread as well as the bottled diced Olive Salad Mix, Hot and Spicy Marinated Eggplant and Artichokes. I typically add a bit of the juice from each of the bottled ingredients to add flavour to the salad.
This recipe gets better as it sits.