~Sunday, September 02,
2012
My
mom created this delicious side-dish for dinner last night to serve with her
baked salmon. The baked salmon was quite
good in itself—and that recipe is soon to
follow when I receive her friend’s permission to use it in my blog. (These new friends, visiting from Italy this
summer, cooked up a storm—and, of course, all I could think about was what great material for my blog!)
She
made this dish early in the morning, refrigerated it, and later returned it to
room temperature before serving. (I
always make a mental note of recipes that can be made ahead of time so I will have
more time to visit with dinner guests when I’m hosting the meal.) This dish is similar to the Sicilian Rice
Salad recipe in my book, You Never Grow Old at the Dinner Table; however,
has fewer ingredients which would make it more appropriate as a side-dish.
Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)
5 cups long-grain white rice, cooked
1 cup frozen peas
1 (16 ounce) jar Muffuletta Italian olive salad
(you can purchase at your local Italian market)
¼
cup mayonnaise
¼
cup extra-virgin olive oil
9 cherry tomatoes, halved
Transfer
cooked rice to a large serving dish, mix in the peas, and occasionally toss to
cool. Evenly spoon the Muffuletta over
the rice and mix together gently; then add the mayonnaise and the olive oil,
tossing gently (do not over-mix).
Garnish
the rice salad with cherry tomatoes.
