Paella Salad

I'm back.

Whenever I go away even if it is only for a week I fall behind on my blogging for at least 2 weeks and sometimes as many as 3 weeks. It always takes time to catch up on my day job and get back into the groove of cooking.

While I was away spring finally arrived so I doubt that I will be posting anymore soup recipes for a while. It is onto salads and lighter fare in general. I am very excited to start visiting the farmers markets as soon as they start and being inspired by all the seasonal choices I will have. Asparagus and rhubarb will soon be available and I am already dreaming up ways to prepare them and blog about them. Meanwhile here is a salad that is perfect for a dinner party or picnic. The recipe makes enough to serve up to 12 people. I have been making this salad for 20 years and it is still one of my favourites. You can be very creative with it by adding your preferred ingredients. See the list below for suggestions. It can also be a vegetarian salad by replacing the chicken broth with water. Don't use vegetable broth. I tried this and it plumps up the rice too much and it ends up a gloppy mess.

Ingredients for the rice:

3 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
1 small onion chopped finely
2 cups long grain rice
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 t saffron threads crumbled
1/4 turmeric ( or 1/2 t if not using saffron )
1/2 t dried thyme

Ingredients for the dressing:

2/3 cup best quality olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Suggested ingredients for the salad:

1 cooked chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
15 medium size cooked shrimp
1 chorizo style sausage cut into bite size pieces
1 large bell pepper seeded and diced
1 pint of grape tomatoes sliced in halves
2 cans of artichoke hearts drained and sliced
1 cup of fresh or frozen peas or edamame
4 green onions chopped
1 cup of kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Rice:
Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and onion and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Add broth, saffron, turmeric and thyme. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Transfer rice to a large bowl, fluff with a fork to separate the grains and cool to room temperature.


Dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley salt & pepper.

Salad:
Add your choice of salad ingredients to the rice. Stir to combine and then add enough dressing to lightly coat all the ingredients. Stir gently, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Refrigerate until serving.

TIP: When making the rice I find covering the pot with foil and then placing the lid on helps to create a tighter seal. The lid won't rattle and the steam will remain in the pot. Also on my gas stove I bring the pot to a boil and them I turn my burner off as it retains enough heat over the 25 minutes to perfectly steam the rice.