In keeping with the theme of my past few recipes, I’m
sharing another summer friendly dish that takes minimum effort and heat to
prepare. Insalata di riso—or rice
salad—is a dish that I came across for the first time while living in Bologna.
It was June, and the heat was already at its peak. My go-to favorites, tagliatelle al ragù and piadina with prosciutto and mozzarella,
suddenly seemed too heavy to eat when the weather was so hot, and tortellini in brodo was completely out
of the question. The hearty Bolognese cuisine that I had grown to love in the
cooler weather seemed to have turned on me, and my diet began to consist mainly
of gelato and macedonia (fruit
salad), the few foods that were cool enough for the soaring temperatures.
Despite the
heat of the city, my friends and I decided it would be a good idea to
climb up to the top of the Monte della Guardia Hill to the Sanctuary of the
Madonna of San Luca, a basilica that was built between 1723 and 1757. The
center of the city and the church are connected by the Portico di San Luca—a
3.5-kilometer arcade with 666 porticos that stretches all the way up the hill.
Making the trek up to see the basilica had been an item on my
“to-do-in-Bologna” list that I had saved for the very end, forgetting that
going uphill was best done in the cooler months. We set off early in the day to
avoid the heat as much as possible, and made our way toward the basilica in the
85-degree heat, thankful for the porticos that provided at least a little shade
along the way.
The two-hour trek to the top was not easy, but well worth
the effort when we finally reached the basilica, which was beautiful, as was
the landscape around it and the view of the city. As you can imagine, however,
we were all a little worse for wear—sore feet and legs, sweaty, overheated and
decidedly hungry after the journey to the top of the hill.
Almost there!
That’s where this insalata
di riso comes in. We had all brought along a small cooler with food for a
picnic once we reached the top, and insalata
di riso was my friend Anita’s contribution. At first, I was skeptical—the
ingredients to the salad looked pretty varied, and up until that point I had
known rice was meant for risotto or stir-fry, but never served cold.
It turned out to be the perfect dish for that day: it was
cool and refreshing, and every bite had a different mixture of flavors. It
cooled us all down and filled us up in preparation for the descent back to the
city. This is a recipe that I’ve since replicated often at home, and it’s
perfect for picnics, barbecues, or just a simple lunch. Note that this is an
extremely versatile dish, and every Italian has their own way of making it – I
have added in the ingredients I like best, but feel free to mix and match to
make your own recipe. Sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, basil, or green olives
would also be good additions. Enjoy!
INSALATA DI RISO
Ingredients:
1 cup long grain white rice
¾ cup fontina cheese cut in cubes
½ cup ham, cut in to cubes
½ cup yellow bell pepper, cubed
½ cup red bell pepper, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup black olives, halved
1 cup arugula
6 ounces tuna in olive oil, drained
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large pot, cook the rice in salted water according to
the package directions (generally cooking
time is around 13–15 minutes). Drain
the rice and rinse it under cold water. Transfer it to a large bowl and let
cool.
Next add the peppers, tomatoes, olives, arugula, ham, cheese
and tuna to the rice, and toss everything together until well mixed. Season the
insalata di riso to taste with salt
and pepper and olive oil to taste. Let the insalata
di riso rest in the fridge for an hour, covered, until cold. Serves 4.
