Wholegrain Rice Salad with Sultanas, Piedmont Hazelnuts and Castelmagno
An autumn rice salad with our Carnaroli Integrale, sultanas softened in dry Marsala, toasted Piedmont hazelnuts and shaved Castelmagno DOP.
An autumn and winter composed rice salad: Carnaroli Classico Integrale, sultanas softened in dry Marsala, toasted Piedmont hazelnuts, raw fennel cut into julienne, orange zest and shaved Castelmagno DOP. Vegetarian, and naturally gluten-free. It takes 20 minutes of active work, 40 of cooking and 30 of resting in the fridge. Serve it warm, at cellar temperature, with the cheese shavings added only at the last moment.
The rice salads we like in winter are the ones that change their voice with the season: fewer watery vegetables, more dried fruit and nuts, more warm colours. Here our Carnaroli Classico Integrale meets sultanas softened in a spoonful of Marsala, freshly toasted Piedmont hazelnuts, raw fennel in a fine julienne and thin shavings of Castelmagno DOP, which go in only at the moment of serving.
For our home version we chose the Carnaroli Classico Integrale from the closed supply chain of Lumellogno: compared with the white grain it stands up to cooling without falling apart, and when the dish rests half a day in the fridge the grain stays separate and firm. It is a salad for a weekend lunch and for the Christmas buffet, where the sweetness of the sultanas, the noble bitterness of the toasted hazelnuts and the savouriness of the mountain cheese find their balance.
Ingredients for 4 People
Ingredients
- 320 g Carnaroli Classico Integrale Acqua e Sole rice
- 80 g Castelmagno DOP, in thin shavings
- 80 g Tonda Gentile Piedmont hazelnuts (shelled)
- 80 g sultanas (preferably Pantelleria zibibbo)
- 1 medium fennel bulb (about 300 g)
- 1 unwaxed orange (zest and juice)
- 1 tablespoon dry Marsala (or dry white vermouth, or warm water)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Modena PGI balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard (optional)
- to taste fine salt, black pepper
- to taste parsley leaves
Notes from Our Kitchen
- Castelmagno only at serving, never mixed in beforehand: it takes on moisture and loses its texture
- Keep the hazelnuts near the pan and take them off as soon as they smell fragrant: they burn in seconds and turn bitter
- Always soften the sultanas in Marsala, vermouth or warm water: dry and untreated they are chewy
- Castelmagno in wide shavings with a peeler, not finely grated: grated, it disappears into the dish
- Fennel in a very fine julienne (1-2 mm), ideally with a mandoline, otherwise it takes over
Method
Cooking the rice (40 min)
We bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil (about 2 litres for 320 g of rice, a level tablespoon of coarse salt). Pour in the Carnaroli Integrale and cook over a medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring now and then. Cooking it the English way, with the rice drained rather than left to absorb the water, is the right technique for cold salads: the grain stays separate and holds its structure even while resting.
Cooling the rice (5 min)
Once cooked, drain the rice and run it straight under cold running water, stirring with a spoon so it cools evenly. Let it drain well, then move it to a wide bowl and dress it with a tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil: this keeps the grains separate while you prepare the rest.
Toasting the hazelnuts (4-5 min)
Set a non-stick pan over a medium heat with no fat. When it is hot, pour in the shelled hazelnuts and toast them for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan often, until the skins crack and they smell strongly fragrant. Tip them straight onto a clean tea towel, close the towel and rub firmly: most of the skin comes away. Once they are warm, chop them coarsely with a knife.
Fennel in a fine julienne (5 min)
Remove the hard base and the tougher outer leaves of the fennel, keeping the tender green fronds for the garnish. Cut the fennel in half, then into very thin slices lengthwise, ideally with a mandoline (1-2 mm thick). When cut, put it in a small bowl with a tablespoon of the orange juice, to soften it slightly without cooking it.
Softening the sultanas (10-15 min)
Put the sultanas in a small bowl with the tablespoon of dry Marsala (or white vermouth, or warm water). Leave them to rest for 10-15 minutes until they plump up slightly. Drain well before using, keeping the soaking liquid aside for the vinaigrette if it is alcoholic.
Balsamic and orange vinaigrette (3 min)
In a small bowl whisk together, with a small whisk, the remaining orange juice, the balsamic vinegar, the mustard if you are using it, a grind of black pepper and, if you like, a teaspoon of the sultana soaking liquid. Pour in the three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream while you keep whisking, until the vinaigrette emulsifies and turns slightly creamy. Do not add the salt yet: you season it as you assemble.
Assembling (3 min)
In a large bowl combine the now cold Carnaroli Integrale rice, the fennel julienne with its juice, the drained sultanas, the chopped hazelnuts and the freshly grated orange zest. Pour over the vinaigrette, adjust the salt bearing in mind that the Castelmagno will arrive at serving, and fold gently from the bottom upwards.
Resting in the fridge (30 min)
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This is when the flavours come together, the orange zest perfumes the rice and the sultanas give their sweetness to the dressing.
Serving (2 min)
Add the Castelmagno shavings ONLY at the moment of serving, never before: cut them thin with a peeler or a cheese slicer and scatter them over the salad. A drizzle of raw oil to finish, freshly ground black pepper, a few parsley leaves torn by hand. Serve at cellar temperature.
Lumellogno, Langhe, Valle Grana
Our rice salads, here in Lumellogno, change their voice with the season. When autumn comes and the new sultanas and freshly toasted hazelnuts appear in the markets, the summer bowls give way to warmer compositions: dried fruit and nuts, mountain cheese, shavings of Castelmagno DOP that come down from the Valle Grana. It is a table that recalls the year-end one of Piedmontese families, where sultanas softened in a drop of Marsala, Piedmont hazelnuts toasted in the pan and the Carnaroli Integrale we work on-site all meet on the same plate. Three different Piedmonts, each in its place.
Lumellogno · Langhe · Valle Grana
Carnaroli Integrale for composed winter salads
Carnaroli Classico Integrale is the variety we always keep in the pantry for composed autumn and winter salads. Compared with the white grain it keeps the kernel firm even after cooling, gives back a note of toasted hazelnut that talks to the dried fruit and nuts, and brings complex carbohydrates and fibre that make the one-dish meal substantial without weighing it down. We grow it in Lumellogno and work it on-site, from the paddy field to the bag: a closed supply chain with ISO 9001 certified production, which lets us guarantee the same quality in every pack that leaves our farm.
«For composed winter salads we always keep Carnaroli Integrale in the pantry: the grain keeps its structure even cold, the hazelnut note talks to the dried fruit and nuts, the fibre justifies the one-dish meal. For composed winter salads it is made just so.» From the kitchen of Acqua e Sole, Lumellogno
One word of caution we feel we should give: do not skip the resting. Drain it al dente, cool it well, and let the vinaigrette and the orange perfume the rice for at least half an hour in the fridge. It is in those thirty minutes that the dish finds its voice.
Questions about the rice salad and Castelmagno
Can I replace the Castelmagno with another cheese?
Where do I find Piedmont hazelnuts?
How long does it keep, and can I make it the night before?
Suggested Pairing
To go with this salad we like Piedmontese whites with good acidity and minerality, which stand up to the Castelmagno and talk to the toasted hazelnut note. We happily open a dry Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG, or a white from the Colline Novaresi of our own area.
For those who prefer a red, a young Vespolina Colline Novaresi works well served cool. Avoid the big tannic reds such as Barolo or Barbaresco: at cellar temperature they close up and clash with the bitterness of the hazelnuts. To close the meal, a naturally lively Moscato d’Asti.
Carnaroli Classico Integrale Acqua e Sole Rice
Our classic Carnaroli milled as a wholegrain, grown in Lumellogno and worked in our own rice mill. A firm grain that stays separate even after cooling, a note of toasted hazelnut that the wholegrain milling develops naturally, and perfect hold in cold preparations. The right variety for composed autumn and winter salads, with dried fruit and nuts, sweet fruit and important cheeses.
Bring the Carnaroli homeOriginal Acqua e Sole recipe, from our kitchen in Lumellogno.