Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios

made by Loren

Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s!! recipe in Food & Wine.

Serves 6

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

1 cup quinoa

1 cup Bhutanese red rice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dried apricots (diced), cherries or cranberries

1-2 Navel Oranges, supremed and cut into small pieces

1 large or 2 small red beets

Bring 2 medium saucepans of salted water to a boil. I added 1 ½” chunks of beet to the red rice water, for color, removing them after it was sufficiently red, before adding the rice.Add the quinoa to 1 saucepan and the red rice to the other.

Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice. Drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.

While grains are cooking, grate the rest of the beets and put aside.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa, rice, onion, and shaved beets. This can sit for 1-2 hours before serving. Add apricots, pistachios and scallions and lettuce just before serving.

The cooked quinoa and rice and the dressing can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.