Brown And Wild Rice Salad

July, and I turned fifty-two. The birthday was quiet by design — Caleb came, River and Lucia, Hannah and Thomas and Wren. We grilled and sat outside until the stars were out and Wren asked me what it felt like to be getting older and I told her the truth: it feels like getting better at something you're still not done learning. She considered that and said: "What are you still not done learning?" I said probably everything. She seemed satisfied by that.

Wren is twelve now and her questions have taken on a layer of philosophy that her kitchen questions don't have — when she's cooking she wants the practical answer, the technique, the why that helps her do it better next time. But outside the kitchen she's asking the bigger why, the one about meaning and purpose and what a life should be organized around. She's at the age when those questions first become possible and she's asking them without embarrassment, which is not how I was at twelve. I was at twelve asking them privately and pretending not to.

I made my own birthday meal this year, which is something I've started doing in the last few years because I like the act of deciding what I want and then making it happen. I made a slow-braised venison shoulder with dried chiles and dried corn, the recipe I've been refining for twenty years, and a cold bean salad with fresh herbs and the first tomatoes of summer. I ate with the people I love on the porch I built, on the land I've been tending for three decades, and the number fifty-two felt right, felt earned, felt exactly like where I was supposed to be.

The cold bean salad I made that evening — the one with the fresh herbs and the first tomatoes of summer — has a cousin I come back to just as often, and it’s this brown and wild rice salad. It carries the same logic: something sturdy enough to sit at room temperature, something that gets better as people linger and the conversation stretches on. When you’re cooking for the people you love on a warm July night, you want a dish that doesn’t demand attention once it’s made — one that just sits there and holds its own, the way a good guest does.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the rice. Combine brown rice, wild rice, and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 45—50 minutes until both rices are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Cool the rice. Spread the cooked rice in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and allow it to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. This keeps the grains separate and prevents the salad from becoming gummy.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth and emulsified.
Combine. Transfer the cooled rice to a large mixing bowl. Add the dried cranberries, toasted nuts, green onions, parsley, and thyme. Pour the dressing over the top and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
Taste and rest. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. For best flavor, let the salad rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours and bring back toward room temperature before plating.

Nutrition (per serving)

Brown And Wild Rice Salad — The Cold Side That Earned Its Place at a Fifty-Two-Year Birthday Table