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Red rice, baby spinach and ricotta salad with rhubarb dressing

Name: Spinach and ricotta rice salad recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 200g red rice; 80ml olive oil; 60ml rice vinegar; 20.00 ml caster sugar; 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced; 3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces; 40.00 ml lime juice; 200g fresh ricotta; 110g jar baby capers in brine, drained; 100g baby spinach; 1 radicchio, leaves separated, larger leaves torn; 1 baby cos, leaves separated; 100g seedless red grapes, halved

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Red rice, baby spinach and ricotta salad with rhubarb dressing

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by Paul Farag

CHEF

Oct 30, 2023

“I absolutely love radicchio and treviso as it adds bitterness to salads, but you can sub it out if you’re not a fan. I treat this salad as a healthy way of creating a nacho bowl, but I won’t stop you from chopping everything up and creating a more classic salad.” – Paul Farag

200g red rice
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/3 cup (80ml) extra
1/4 cup (60ml) brown rice vinegar (from Asian food stores, substitute apple cider vinegar)
1 tbs caster sugar
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
2 tbs lime juice
200g fresh ricotta
110g jar baby capers in brine, drained
100g baby spinach
1 radicchio, leaves separated, larger leaves torn
1 baby cos, leaves separated
100g seedless red grapes, halved

Method

1.

Place rice in a large saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer rapidly, stirring once or twice with a fork, for 15-18 minutes until just tender. Drain and then immediately cool under cold running tap water. Drain well.
2.

Meanwhile, place oil, vinegar, sugar and garlic in a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm. Stir through rhubarb and lime juice, then set pan aside at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften rhubarb, stirring occasionally.
3.

Place ricotta, capers and extra oil in a large bowl and use a fork to gently combine. Fold through rice, baby spinach and rhubarb dressing, then check seasoning.
4.

Transfer to a large serving platter. Arrange radicchio and cos on the platter around the rice mixture – the idea is to use the leaf cups to scoop up the rice salad – then sprinkle with grapes. Serve.