Rice Salad with Cucumber & Yogurt

20 minutes prep 15 minutes active cooking 35 minutes total

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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I like to cook a little extra when I make rice, and rice salad is where I use it the most.

This version varies from the classic Italian approach of pickled things and cured pork by taking advantage of the delicious cucumbers we’ve got this time of year.

While my favorite cuke is the Kirby, often sold as a pickling cucumber, it’s not available for long. If I can’t get Kirbys, I try to find the short, thin Persian cucumbers, one of the so-called burpless varieties. But even the fat slicers, especially when fresh from a local farm, are better than the tasteless cukes we get in the winter. I usually don’t peel any except the slicers, and I scrape the seeds out of them as well since they can make a salad watery.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

3-4 Kirby Cucumbers
1/4 cup of Your favorite Greek-style Yogurt
1 bunch of Fresh Cilantro

From our shop

2 cups, cooked of Kokuho Rose Heirloom White Rice
$20.00– San Joaquin Valley - California

2 tablespoons of Novo Frantoio
$27.00– Tuscany - Italy

1 tablespoon of Sparkling Wine Vinegar
$15.00– Napa - California

To taste Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily

Equipment

From the kitchen

1 Mixing Bowl
1 Cutting Board
1 Chef Knife
1 Whisk or Spatula

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Make the dressing in the bottom of your salad bowl by stirring together a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a tablespoon of vinegar, and about a quarter cup of your favorite Greek-style yogurt (full fat Ellenos for me).

Step 2

Add a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves and, if you want, a chopped jalapeno.

Step 3

Slice a few cucumbers lengthwise, then cut those pieces in half before slicing about 1/2 inch thick.

Step 4

Chop an entire bunch of fresh cilantro. Add the cukes and cilantro to the dressing with a couple of cups of cooked Kokuho Rose rice. Add salt, mix well, and taste.