Forbidden Rice and Orzo Salad with Herb Garden Vinaigrette

I picked up a bag of forbidden rice a few weeks ago and have been wondering what to do with it every since then.  This black rice is often called "Forbidden Rice" because at one point it was considered the emperor's rice and forbidden to anyone else.  The great news is that it's not a glutinous rice.  I am definitely not the one to call on when it comes to cooking rice!  I actually bought a rice cooker awhile back just for that reason.  With the Forbidden Rice not being glutinous, you're much less likely to end up with a sticky mess when cooking it.  Orzo is a small rice shaped pasta.  I think that the pasta texture of the orzo and the firmer, grainy texture of the Forbidden Rice are great together.

As the title suggests, the vinaigrette gets the whole herb garden thrown at it.  I made this salad last night and used a mixture of purple basil, basil, oregano, thyme, chives and mint.  The great thing with an herb vinaigrette is that you can pick and choose the herbs based off of what's available.  This doesn't quite mean that all herbs will work together.  When picking herbs for this recipe stick with the sweeter, less polarizing flavors such as the basils, thymes, mints and parsleys.  A touch of  oregano or chives mixed in will add a little extra depth to the vinaigrette.  Those stronger flavors to keep aside for other recipes include, rosemary, dill and sage.

This salad mixes fresh and dried in the herbs, onion and bell peppers against the raisins and pecans.  There's also the contrasts of sweet and acidic, and the differences in texture that I mentioned early with the rice and orzo.  It keeps well in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days and tastes better on the day after making it.  Enjoy!

1 cup Orzo
3/4 cup Forbidden Rice (black Rice)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins, your choice

For The Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup lightly packed mixed herbs of your choice, finely chopped

(1) Whisk all ingredients together for the vinaigrette in a mixing bowl.

(2) Cook orzo and forbidden rice in separate pots according to cooking instructions.  When each are cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to cool.  Not cooling quickly will cause both to overcook and soak up the vinaigrette too quickly.

(3) Drain the rice and orzo well. Mix with the onion, bell peppers, raisins and pecans.  Add vinaigrette and fold together with a spatula.  Refrigerate and enjoy.