Picnic Perfect Rice Salad

I got to attend two beautiful outdoor picnics last week, so I am indeed a very lucky lady. Both picnics invited guests to bring a potluck dish to share and I got completely and embarrassingly stuffed trying to “get a little taste” of everything. Here’s the interesting part - at each picnic there was a cold rice salad. I’ve never had that before. Pasta salads have sort of ruled the picnic world as long as I can remember. Two of my good friends, Ellen and Karla, had both been rooting around in old recipes from their mothers and mothers-in-laws and came up with slightly different versions of this recipe for a cold rice salad.

It was most likely popular in the 1960’s and 70’s and has just gone out of style, but I believe it’s our duty to make it stylish once again!

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the recipes, which both friends happily provided. The differences were small, one had a bit or curry and one featured dill. I like both of those ingredients so I put them together. One had green peppers, green onions, and celery. Bon Voyage to the green peppers but the onion and celery get to stay on board. One recipe had less mayo – I like that idea. Now here are the similarities, both included marinated artichoke hearts and olives – beyond delicious in my opinion. And they featured rice cooked in broth and cooled. I’m telling you it was a joyous first bite – and also second and third and so on it went.

I couldn’t wait to make this salad for my guys. The fancy Carolina gold rice was calling my name, it smells like popcorn when it cooks, but any long grain white rice will do. We have dill in the garden but you could use dried in a pinch. And the rest is history. This recipe is now a family favorite that I’m so happy to share it.

Thank heavens for good friends - particularly those who share recipes, for picnics with good friends, and for my new favorite salad that needs to have a better name, let’s try Picnic Perfect Rice Salad!