We are cooking on the grill tonight. David is making ribs. I was excited about this rice salad from Giada De Laurentiis and thought it would be a great accompaniment. One of the ingredients is radicchio. I was having a hard time finding it here in New Smyrna Beach. The local Publix did not have it. I went to the local health food market, Heath’s Natural Food and, although they did not have radicchio, they ordered it for me. It came within days. I shared Giada’s recipe with them and they will display the recipe near the radicchio to encourage others to buy and use it. I also bought Organic Madagascar Pink Rice from them since I could not find red rice anywhere. The local businesses here in NSB are very accommodating.
There is much to love about this rice salad. It is full of flavor with fennel, radicchio, oranges, cucumber and fresh basil. The whole-grain mustard vinaigrette ties it all together.
I am hopeful that the days of freezing temperatures are behind us. Everything that the owner of the house had in her outside planters was taken out by the freeze. I have been busy for the last week trying to replace what she has lost. This large planter now has Geraniums and White Bacopa flowers.
I bought this Dorotheanthus succulent that can withstand high heat. It is also called Livingstone Daisy. Hopefully it will make it through the summer.
I also chose a native plant: the Dune Daisy, which is indigenous to Florida. I am looking forward to more blooms. With winter blanketing so many of you, I wanted to offer a glimpse of Spring and Summer. It has also been restorative to my well being to work on these planters.
This may be too late for a Super Bowl side dish, but I am sure that it would be welcomed by anyone wanting a side dish for a Pot Luck or a crowd. Enjoy and thanks to Giada!
RED RICE SALAD