Crispy Brown Rice with Deeply Roasted Broccoli, Carrots, and

Ingredients

1 cup (200 g) uncooked short-grain brown rice

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil, for frying

12 ounces (335 g) broccoli, stems trimmed and peeled, cut into long florets

Extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (225g) carrots, cut into long spears (if the carrots are small, just halve or quarter lengthwise)

8 ounces (225 g) turnips, halved, quartered, or cut in chunks, depending on their size

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Dried chile flakes

½ cup (60 g) salted roasted cashews, roughly chopped

5 or 6 scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch/1.5 cm off the green tops), sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well

Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Small handful fresh cilantro leaves and tenderstems

Fresh Orange and Garlic Confit

Vinaigrette (page 319; see Note)

Directions

Up to 24 hours ahead, rinse the rice and soak in a bowl of cool water for 2 hours. Drain.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it lightly (about 1 teaspoon per quart), add the rice, and boil until the rice is fully tender but not too "exploded," 45 to 60 minutes. Drain thoroughly, tapping the sieve to shake out as much water as possible. Spread the rice on a large tray and let it dry completely at room temperature. If you won't be using it in the next 2 hours, cover and refrigerate.

Line a sheet pan with paper towels and put it near the stove. Pour a couple of inches of vegetable oil into a large heavy-bottomed pan that is deep enough to not worry about spillovers during frying. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it's about 365°F (185°C).

Working in batches, carefully add some cooked rice to the oil and fry until the rice grains puff slightly and get a bit darker.

Scoop the rice out of the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to the Season lightly lined sheet pan O. with salt and set aside. Continue to puff the remaining rice.

Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

Put the broccoli in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread onto a sheet pan. Repeat with the carrots and turnips, but try to keep them separate on the baking sheet in case one cooks more quickly than the other and you have to scoot it off.

Roast the vegetables until they are tender and nicely browned- charred is even better-around the edges, about 30 minutes. The broccoli will probably finish first, but it all depends on the vegetables. You may need to switch the pans from one oven rack to the other. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the vinegar, and let cool to room temperature.

When ready to serve, pile all the vegetables in a large bowl and season lightly with a generous pinch of dried chile flakes and more salt and pepper. Add the cashews, scallions, parsley, and cilantro and toss to mix. Add about ⅔ cup (80 ml) vinaigrette. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, chile flakes, or vinegar. Add the crispy rice, toss once more, and serve right away.

Notes

Note: I hope you'll have a batch of the dressing already in your refrigerator, but if not and you're in a hurry, you can dress the dish by squeezing an orange and maybe half a lemon over everything, then tossing with some good olive oil.

The popped rice that's the base for this salad is fun, crunchy, and quite unexpected-all good things. You can simmer the rice a couple of days ahead (or use what you have stashed in the fridge or freezer) and fry it the next day. Make the salad right away, or even the following day, as the fried rice stays crunchy for at least 24 hours in an airtight container. The overall flavor goal in this salad is to balance the earthiness of the broccoli and root vegetables-which I cook right up to the edge of burnt- with the sweet, bright citrus dressing. - Serves 4 to 6

VARIATION: Instead of using broccoli, carrots, and turnips, use chunks of raw tomato (or cherry tomatoes) — don't cook them-along with roasted or grilled summers quash. Use mint and basil instead of parsley and cilantro, and add a few thin slices of red onion instead of the scallions. Dress with Cilantro-Raisin Vinaigrette (page 314).