Tuscan Rice Salad

Phil Franco's Note:

Serve this main-course salad with some crusty bread, and offer fresh fruit for dessert. To prepare the dish, use leftovers from the Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary, or broil two 4-ounce boneless pork loin chops until cooked through and then dice.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 cup arborio rice or 1 cup medium-grain white rice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 cup finely diced cooked pork
• 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 6 large lettuce leaves
• 1 medium tomato, cut into thin wedges

Directions:

1. Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Stir in rice and salt. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until rice is tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Drain rice well.
2. Whisk vinegar and oil in large bowl. Add warm rice and toss to coat.
3. Whisk egg and Parmesan cheese in small bowl to blend. Spray medium nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add egg mixture and stir constantly until scrambled and curds are set, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. Cut egg into small pieces. Season to taste with pepper.
4. Stir egg pieces, pork, peas, red onion and parsley into rice. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Line shallow bowl with lettuce leaves. Spoon rice salad onto leaves. Surround with tomato wedges. Serve at room temperature.
5. Serves 4.

Reviews

[GaylaJ]

Nice salad! I used arborio rice and a leftover center-cut loin chop--it was cut very thick, and actually yielded well over a cup after diced. I did add some fresh basil, and think next time I may also add some minced garlic, but we really enjoyed the dish--thanks for sharing!