Recipe: Tuna and Rice Dinner Salad

A good friend (Graham Burns, my editor and layout master for my book) sent me this recipe, which was printed in the Washington Post on March 2, 2005. I first served it to my husband after he came home from a week of eating in restaurants. He declared it wonderful, full of surprising and delightful tastes; unlike anything he had eaten the previous week. 

When I first read the recipe, I knew I had to make it right then and there. Thus, my variations are simply based on what I had in the house at that moment in time. I am sure the original recipe is downright delicious and maybe even better than mine.

I have made a few modifications.

• Cook one cup of brown Basmati rice per package directions (I always cook lots of extra to have on hand for the week)
• Place warm rice on a platter
• Spread 1 6-oz. can of tuna over the cooked rice (I use light tuna packed in olive oil and spread over the rice)
• Sprinkle a handful of chopped kalamata olives on top of tuna
• Sprinkle thinly slivered red onions on top of that
• Pour a generous dollop of olive oil over all (not needed if tuna in olive oil is used, but if water packed tuna is used, a very flavorful oil is needed)
• Sprinkle a generous tablespoon or so of Balsamic vinegar over that
• Sprinkle fresh rosemary over the top of all

Makes two generous servings, or enough for two servings plus a lunch the next day.
I served it with a side salad and sliced sourdough bread from Zingerman's Deli. For such a simple dish it had a tremendous depth of flavor, and it was very filling. 

Feel free to add other garnishes to the salad: artichoke hearts, capers, any grilled veggies, cherry tomatoes, etc, etc. 

Enjoy the ease of this dish.