Forbidden rice and squash salad

Serves: 6
Course: Salads
Cooking Time: 0 hr 35 mins
Ingredients
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1tsp honey
  • 1tsp finely grated ginger
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 300g black rice
  • 600ml water
  • 1tbs olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 4tbs roughly chopped coriander
  • 2tbs finely chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

First make the dressing to give the flavours a chance to develop. Place the orange juice, honey and ginger into a jar. Shake well to combine, then set aside. You could do this the day before for an even more intense flavour.

Cut the squash in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeds and peel the squash. Cut the flesh into bite-size pieces. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and mix everything together. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread the squash out in a single layer on a roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes until the edges are just golden and the squash is cooked.

Place the rice and 600ml of water into a medium pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 35 minutes until just cooked but still firm. Drain well and spread the rice out on tray. Gently dry off any excess water with a clean tea towel. Place the rice in a large serving bowl along with two tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Pour the dressing through a sieve over the salad and discard the little pieces of ginger and orange that remain. Stir gently to mix. Taste again for seasoning. Add a little lemon juice if you feel the orange juice is too flat. It all depends on the orange. Add the squash, chopped coriander, chives and the pomegranate arils. Stir gently and serve right away or at room temperature.

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a food writer