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Autumn Wild Rice, Kale and Apple Salad

This autumn salad celebrates all the wonderful flavours and textures of autumn. Nutty wild rice blend, crunchy tart green apple, pleasantly softened bitter kale, and pecans are dressed with a maple cider dressing. It can be served at room temperature, sautéed lightly as a side to a roast dinner, or even used to stuff roasted squash. How versatile!
Course Salad
Cuisine North American
Keyword apple cider vinegar, apples, kale, maple syrup, pecans, wild rice
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Salad

  • 3/4 cup wild rice blend, see Notes
  • 1 1/4 chicken or turkey stock, plus more if needed, see Notes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chopped massaged lacinato kale, the more finely diced, the more it will feel like tabbouleh, see Notes
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 1/2 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
  • kosher salt and black pepper

Maple Cider Vinaigrette, can be made in advance

  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

Vinaigrette

  1. Combine the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper in a jar with a lid. Whisk or shake the lid till everything is well combined. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking all the while. Taste and re-season as desired. Set aside till needed. If you made this the day before, bring it to room temperature and shake before using.

Salad

  1. Rinse the rice in a sieve several times under cold water.
  2. Combine the rice, stock, and salt in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.
  3. Cover tightly with a lid and reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Check to see if the rice is done. If you would like a softer texture, add 1 or 2 tbsp more stock, cover and cook another 5-10 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat, with the cover on, let it stand for 5 minutes.
  5. Fluff with a fork. You will need 1 cup for this recipe, place the rest in a container and in the fridge. Add it to soup etc.
  6. Place the 1 cup of cooked rice into a large bowl.
  7. Add the kale, lightly massaging it between your fingers as you add it, to help soften it and making it pleasant to eat.
  8. Chop the apple into small cubes (between 1/4-1/2 inch cubes) and add to the kale and rice.
  9. Add the onions, pecans and pomegranate arils. Drizzle 3 tbsp of the dressing and toss the salad. Taste and season with kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
  10. The salad can be served immediately with more dressing. Or it can be stored in the fridge, covered with a damp paper towel to keep it crisp till needed.

Alternative serving options

  1. Take the finished salad and sauté it all in a large skillet til just warmed through, to give it all a lovely crunch and warmth. Serve this as a side dish instead of a salad. See blog post for details on the method.

  2. Roast off acorn, honeynut or other favourite squash, and use the warmed sautéed salad to fill the cavities of halved squash. Drizzle with more dressing, or even maple syrup before serving.

  3. See blog post for more details, including substitutions for most ingredients.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to replace 1-2 tbsp of the wild rice blend you have with actual wild rice (if there isn't a fair amount in there all ready)
You can use water instead of stock to cook the rice, but the rice will have less of an earthy savoury presence.

Massaging raw lacinato kale between your fingers before adding it to the bowl tenderizes it enough to make it pleasant to eat uncooked.
To toast the pecans, use a dry skillet set on medium, and place the pecans in it in a single layer. Use a wooden spoon to occasionally stir them up to keep from scorching underneath. As soon as they are fragrant and lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes, remove to a cutting board to cool. Then chop coarsely.